Vigorous Intent
by nukerjsr
Summary: Spinoff series of "A Second Opinion." Proof to show what happens when overwhelming passion is put into playing a mere video game. Halloween Special Up!
1. Chapter 1

This was very...very out of the blue for me. Seriously, I was just sitting down and watching the dub for Lucky Star and this idea just hit me like a thunderstorm. As you know, since I'm an avid fan of both Lucky Star and Rock Band, I try to think of fun little ideas for inspiration just to get the ball moving a little faster.

Until this little thing hit me as I was watching videos on youtube. It was in my head and I decided to give this little gift for you all. You could say this is a way of me thanking both series, as it's released in the middle between Rock Band 2's release and Lucky Star's OVA coming to fruitition. I shall also note that this isn't serious like, The Underlying Theme. It's just a fun little oneshot.

Here are a few notes to keep though when reading through this. I've only used good ol' Anime Tenchou ONCE in my fic, so I think it's worth giving this to him. And I really think that this song speaks for him. You may enjoy it a bit more if you know about it and the scenery it goes along with. And like I've warned, there's swearing, and the severe use of CAPS, **Bold,** and _Italics_. You've been warned.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and it's upcoming OVA is presented by Kyoto Animation. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers.**

* * *

Shiraishi Minoru was walking down the streets of Ikebukuro with aches in his bones. He had been recently hired to work in a nearby pet store to earn some extra money. Since his voice actor gig didn't set off as successfully as he planned, he decided to still earn a living while he looked for more roles. It was a decent job for the most part. He did more work with lifting heavy boxes and stockpiling than cleaning filthy cages. It had been the end of a long hour work day, so he wanted to just get home and take a nice nap.

As he fiddled around with his paycheck, he looked at many of the other nearby stores in the area. Even for Japan, this area was quite packed with specialty shops. Their was an ice cream shop, electronics store, book store, several trendy fashion shops, and a few restaurants that were close by. However the biggest hook and most popular section of this street was…

"DAMN IT!" A voice shouted from that very location.

Minoru quickly panicked, hearing the raging sounds coming from the monumental Animate store. He was standing right outside of the entrance.

"Calm down, Tenchou!" A female worker said from inside.

"**Calm down**?! **Our sales have decreased steadily since June! We've been doing horrible this quarter thanks to digital distribution!**"

"Anizawa-san?" The soft-spoken boy thought to himself.

"What are we going to do?" A glasses wearing employee asked.

"We must buckle down, and think of new ways to attract customers!" The hot-blooded manager asked everyone. If we are going to overcome this increasing thread, **then we must remind all of our customers why coming to Animate cannot be beat!**"

The teenager's heartbeat began to accelerate. Just hearing the voice of the man who gave him such passionate advice filled him with this incentive. He needed to help his fellow man into the time of need. Inside the store, it felt very barren. All the light had been sucked dry out of it from the lack of sales. He turned his head by the cash register, seeing that all the noise had been coming from an office in the back.

"What can we do other than sales?" The girl asked. "That seems to get only way we can get other people's attention."

"What are some techniques that the other stores are doing?"

"You know that Gamerz keeps a tight lid on everything they want to do!" Meito stated. "Even those scoundrel managers from other stores refuse to speak about how to increase the company, **because they want to take our branch down!**"

"Umm…" A voice trembled by the door.

In a flash, the adrenaline-fueled manager burst out of the door ready to assist that customer's expectations, any means necessary.

"**HELLO!!**" Meito greeted with the utmost amount of energy. "**Welcome to the Ikebukuro Animate! ASK US IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOUR SHOPPING NEEDS!**"

He blinked for a second, to see the customer was found standing in the store. He slumped, feeling like the voices in his head were starting to play around with him. Success would not happen. As he was about to storm back into his office, until he looked down. Meito was standing one man who was about to give advice. Shiraishi had a face like he was about to pass out from the impact of the door.

"Shi-Shiraishi-san!" The manager said, lifting him up and shaking him profusely. "Speak to me, man!"

"Anizawa-san, I just came in as I was overhearing your troubles…"

"You have a solution for us?! **By all means, explain it!**"

"Well, I can't think of one right now. But I know that you guys will be able to pull through this."

"**The evils of piracy have it in for us Shiraishi.** **We need a bigger appeal to get to the otakus of the country!**"

As he listened to his speech, he recalled back to the times when he and his friends were talking at lunch. It was fairly simple, but Kaito, as always, was gushing on about his rhythm video games. He began to discuss their cultural impact as they were appearing much for more in the media. They were beginning to be used as a hub for many musicians to get new people to listen to older music. And most importantly, bars and clubs would receive more customers.

"Oh, I just thought of something?"

"**What is it?!**" He demanded, grabbing him by the collar.

"Well, I was just thinking…my friend's talk about this game that plays music, and we might be able to use it to get people to play."

"Hmm…" The manager thought, deep in thought. "We may need to set up a room to prepare it all. Playing music while reading is quite enjoyable." However, he had to research this so called game. When it was at its peak, he tried to release a big Smash X tournament when it was in its primetime. Yet all the fan argument and discussion on what was illegal or not made the customers leave the store.

"I ensure you, Anizawa." Minoru confirmed. "It's purely a party game. I give you my word on it."

"Fair enough." He stated, cocking his head.

He proceeded to grab the boy and push him out of the door. If this was the necessary road to gaining back Animate's respect, he would have to look over every situation. Next Saturday night would determine how the public would respond to this unknown game of wonderment.

* * *

In a short week, the Animate had been prepared for this grand day where they would try to make themselves stand out from every other shop in the city. They owned an import of a very tantalizing video game, probably the only copy found in the country. Various people were crowded in the store. Maybe Meito's dream of turning the shop into a lounge for fans to buy books and chat would go just as planned.

Four people sat in a private room built for the occasion. With the power of Animate workforce at their side, it looked very trendy and stable despite the short amount of time they had. It would be very appropriate that the manager of the store play as the front man. But if they were to make a good impression, they had to make everything appeal look fun and magical as discussed.

Anizawa Meito fiddled through the set list of songs, trying to figure out something to play. He wasn't too keen on American music, but tried to figure out what would be the best way to kick off the start of this event. Kaito stared at himself in the mirror, as he was fiddling with makeup and a wig. Ryuta just sat in boredom looking at the plastic drum set he was to play over. Kagami was filling up with anger by every second as she wasn't sure how she got roped into this situation. A lower class employee walked into the room.

"Tenchou! The customers are getting restless! Can we let them in now?"

"**Fool!**" He yelled, throwing a clipboard near the frightened employee. "**IF WE ARE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ANIMATE, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED!**"

"Fair, fair enough..." He quivered, going out to the bored crowd.

"Can we pick a song now?" Ryuta groaned. "I don't care what we play at this point."

"Just, just make it something easy for me to play." Kagami stuttered. "I have to be bass, anyway so I don't think its right for me to ruin the performance."

"You're my sweet, sweet lover..." Kaito hummed to himself as he was continuing on in the mirror, perfecting his look for the evening.

Kagami felt a blush coming to her as she heard those words. She looked over to see Ryuta drowned in his level of boredom and Meito still browsing through the appropriate song to pick. She started to slowly walk towards him in order not to get any attention. After all, he got her to wear a silly costume for this whole event. It makes her feel a bit stupid that her friends can get her in costumes so easily. She rested his hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

"Ah, you ready then Kagami-san?" He asked.

The tsundere was stunned to see his transformed face. It was completely covered in white, only allowing the portions colored black to be seen. His eyes and sideburns were colored black to give a more menacing look, with spikes coming around it all. To perfect it, the word "Kill" was written on top of his forehead in Kanji. He looked back at her, smiling to see her in such a neat, white jumpsuit. It was covered completely in sharp white diamonds to give a threatening look.

"You look great today. The metal gods would be proud to see you dressed as the bassist."

"Pleased as they would be, I feel like an idiot wearing this." Kagami mumbled.

"This song." Meito firmly stated.

The other three looked over to see his selection. The guitar, vocals, and drums appeared to be extremely hard while the bass was quite lenient. Meito was getting fired up just thinking about how the song went. And it was merely a thirty second preview. Kaito watched on as he was getting ready for this song, with his outfit rising up from this unknown power. He felt a bit silly knowing the only other thing he wore to make his ensemble special was wearing a purple mantle.

"**I don't know much English, but...I know that my heart BEGS me to sing this song! WE MUST PLEASE THE CROWD BY SINGING THIS SONG!**" The manager demanded as if he gained 500,000 power levels.

The guitarist turned to his hot-blooded companion. "Well, do we have to try this song Meito? I'd much prefer that one with the insanely hard guitar playing. It has two solos and an incredibly difficult set up hammer-"

Anizawa nearly hit him from his incompetence. "**FOOL!** **I don't care that this Dan fellow is made of steel, the song appears to be boring! If you truly wish to make everyone happy, THEN YOU PLAY WHAT BEST SIGNIFIES IT!**"

The teenagers, amazed by his charisma, cheered on as they were ready to please the crowd. They began talking as an employee overheard the communication. He started letting people into the room as they looked at the four performers on the stage prepared. A small television was set up for them to watch their game play, but a giant widescreen, hi-definition television was set up for everyone to watch. As it was nearly cramped to capacity, Kaito had one last problem with the set up.

"Ryuta-kun, are you sure?"

"I don't care if you are my friend, I refuse to put on a blonde wig and/or put on face paint. It's just not right."

"Fair enough." He shrugged as he looked on at the crowd.

Kaito moved towards the middle of the stage to look at everyone. Many regulars of the store, as well as several of his and Kagami's female friends were there. It was pleasing that they would be willing to try this. He wanted to get their attention, but even with all the set up, they were still too engrossed by their mundane conversations to look at the stage. He decided to use a very peculiar tactic to get their attention...obscenities.

"Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape! Rape!" He spewed at everyone. They stopped dead in their tracks.

"Whoa! Ten vocalized rapes in one second!?" Taichi commented from hearing those words.

"Thank you." Kaito bowed, now being the focus of everyone in the room. "Thank you for coming to the start of this event sponsored by Animate. We shall be allowing all participants to play this game after our demonstration. Manager Anizawa Meito will be setting the mood by singing this one song. I, Hiiragi Kagami and Kurohiko Ryuta shall be playing the instruments to back him up." He pointed his hand towards the front man. "Meito."

"This is a song we made 25 minutes ago. Because we used the cheat code. Enjoy." He said simply, setting the mood.

The introductions started as the loading screen fired up. Many of the patrons chatted over how the song was going to be, never seeing the game before. A virtual crowd cheered on at the very diverse band in the game. The mood was absolutely silent as the load finally stopped and they could focus on the actual game play. Four different black roads appeared all across the screen, preparing the mood.

Kaito's side of the screen was barraged by a frantic set of moving chords. Even with it's speed and ferocity, the cosplayer nailed them all as they came towards him. His road turned to blue, as his acoustic sounds transformed into the glorious melody of electric guitar. With all the roars and screeches, they crowd looked on at amazement as he was sitting every single note. Since the bass and drums were in active, they had his attention set on him. That is until the vocals kicked in.

"_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..._" Meito sang as the low note slowly ascended to the heavens. With each scaling note, he began to become more intense while the Kaito continued hitting his set of notes. "_Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh _**_waaaaahhhhhhhhh waaaaaaaaaaah waaaaaaahhhhhh wah waahh wahhahhhahhh AHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YEAH!!_**"

After that powerful banshee shriek, everyone was absolutely stunned. The players, the crowd, the employees, all stunned by the intensity of the manager. But what was more amazing was that...

The microphone combusted.

Literally, the microphone had immediately set on fire after that high note had been reached.

"Pull it out! Pull it out!" Patricia said, noting that it was her own Xbox 360 they were using for the event. It was an exclusive, so a Region 1 console had to be used.

Kaito quickly yanked the chord from its slot, causing a message to appear on the screen.

"Whoa! You appear to be rocking out a little too hard! Please plug in controller 3 back to its set!"

The entire crowd sweat dropped at the message in it's irony. Meito looked on in a moment of weakness as the game was paused. He wasn't sure what to. Everyone was in a small state of bedlam as they electronics combusted for no particular reason. They weren't sure how to react to it all.

Ten minutes later and 2000 yen down the hole; Shiraishi came from the electronic shop with a new USB microphone for the game. It would be a shame for no one else to sing these great songs in this moment of glory. As Kaito prepped the game back up, the screen disappeared as a pause menu was the holding everyone still. With someone like Meito and only thirty-five seconds of play, what was about to happen? Meito continued shouting words from the screen.

"_**I do not need!**_"

"_He does not need..._" Kaito chorused, still doing his duties as a guitarist.

"**_A microphone!_**"

"_A microphone._"

"**_MY VOICE IS FUCKING...POWERFUUULLLLLLLLLL--!!_**"

A twin tailed employee looked on at his amazement. She mouthed to herself, "I love you" as she stared on at him. The manager placed his hand forward hitting his next note.

"**_Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww--_**" He said once again from a peculiarly low note. But as those tones came from his lips, a massive wind passed threw the band hitting the unsuspecting crowd. They were taken back as pages from recently purchased volumes began flying out. They were so enraptured by the insanity they were not sure how to deal with it. "**_YEAH!!_**"

He finished it off once again, leading Kaito do his job. The boy bent down on his thighs to play the guitar solo as he shredded on his plastic peripheral. He stuck his tongue out at cheering guests as they could not believe the spectacle. Ryuta and Kagami got to work a siege of snares and bass began hitting the two players. Meito scanned the area trying to pick off the non-otakus who were there. When he came across one in particular, he couldn't help but point at her.

"_**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH--**_" He screamed at a deceptively high tone. Yet even with his sound, the pointer stayed right on the note in game. The girl and the front man exchanged glances at each other in completely different ways. She seemed to scrunch up more and more as attention was put on her shoulders. He capped off the final note as he made another point off at her to finish his phrase. "_**YEAH!!**_"

At that very moment, things became very dark for Yutaka. The tension, the sound, the power, it was too much for her to handle. She clutched her chest as she collapsed square to the ground. Minami immediately came to her aid, catching her in mid drop. As she looked to her best friend's face with a constant state of shock, she wasn't sure how to respond. She stared her icy eyes in Meito in a combination of anger, confusion, and sorrow.

He had one simple reply.

"**Sor-ry.**" He continued on with the lyrics. "**_I DID NOT MEAN!_**"

"_He did not mean._" Kaito repeated, as a good backing vocalist.

"**_TO BLOW YOUR MIND!_**"

"_To blow your mind._"

"**_BUT THAT SHIT HAPPENS TO ME, ALL THE TIME--_**" The manager sang on like a haunting archangel, his tone wiggling around on that last note.

Kaito took the stage again as a longer solo dared to challenge his skill. It was much longer and difficult than the two preceding it. His hand darted along the fret board nailing every incoming note. He stopped only a second to his a few chords that were thrown in to distract him. He took small notice to Yutaka's fall, but was far too possessed by the demons of rock to care. Kagami and Ryuta simply went on as they slammed against their instruments.

Meito sang again, with lyrics coming up. "**_NOW TAKE A LOOK!_**"

"_Take a look._"

"_**TELL ME WHAT DO YOU SEE--!?**_"

"_What do you see?_"

"_**WE GOT THE PICK...OF DESTINNNNNNNNYYYYYY--**_!!

It was at it's absolutely epitome. The crowd was rocking out and bumping around as if they were trying to capture the essence of rock that was emitting. Meito was harmonizing the lyrics and sound of the game perfectly as it reached its all time high. The two guitarists banged their heads as they began to hit multiple triplets coming their way. Ryuta bashed against the fake drum kit try to hit all of those red stares. As the acoustics had hit their peak...

All of a sudden, it was over.

Everyone was in complete awe of the sight. Several of the patrons had passed out from the sheer volume given from the game. Only a few girls, employees, regulars, and the band itself were left standing after that performance. The beautiful room was now cracked and in shambles from the ripped pieces of paper scattered around everywhere. Kagami, Ryuta and Kaito all gathered together just in shock.

"Can you believe it?" Kaito said.

"I can't, can't take what's happened." Kagami said.

"I know, I'm surprised I got 100 too." Kaito grinned.

"Oh you are crazy, Kaito-kun." Ryuta chuckled.

"Am I the only one who cares about the damages?" The twin tailed girl ranted.

"Is...is she going to be ok?" A dumbstruck Minami pleaded.

"She'll be fine." Meito confirmed, clenching his hand. "That happens to several people I talk to. She'll be fine in one day."

As everyone else was pleased from the event, the manager felt a bit more pumped than usual as he began looking for another song to test his power. He stopped at one in particular, looking at the difficulty. It was five, devilish red dots on each instruments. The cover was a picture of a metal plated man on a motorcycle. The land was covered with fire and brimstone while this one creature looked indestructible from its deadly appearance. Meito made a cruel smile as he looked at it with much glee.

"I want to sing this song..." He said in ecstasy.

The band mates looked at it horror, knowing what it was. They all screamed to him. "Don't do it! You'll doom us all!"

A heavy night of sweeping, aching bodies, and electronics filled the night of Animate. Who knew what was to happen next Saturday?

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that and that gave you a bit of a kick through reading it. To those who know about Rock Band 2 and Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, I wish that this spoke to you. Don't you think it fits Meito? I apologize though if the screams got to you. They are kind of hard to put down in text...

And to anyone who can guess the references to other songs, points to you. I'll say it flatly, I love Detroit Metal City which is why I had fun with that on Kaito and Kagami. Metalocalypse's season is over so I need another source for Metal-related lulz.

Please Review and Critique! A sequel? Maybe...

**Disclaimer 2: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Master Exploder was written by Jack Black and Kyle Gass, Produced by John King and Labeled by Epic Records. ****Inspirations for the scene are thanks to Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny distributed by New Line Cinema. Directed by Liam Lynch.**


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all, I kind of wanted to keep this fic alive for personal reasons. I love rhythm games, so this is my way of writing rhythm game related stories with a Lucky Star feel. Especially towards games I love that don't have too much attention. Plus, Meito Anizawa needs some respect, so he is the main focus of this story. So be aware of those warnings from the first chapters.

This story is basically for inspiration. Sometimes music and games make you feel so inspired to write. So I want to mix in two things I enjoy for everyone. This won't last too long, and my Haruhi fic and my other stories will still exist, this just a harmless spin-off. This story won't have chapter titles though, as to not reveal or give hints to the songs chosen. Please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is property of Yoshimizu Kagami, Animated by Kyoto Animation, and Distributed to the USA through Bandai Entertainment.**** Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers.**

**EDIT! Akai-Kurenai has informed me of my errors, so there shouldn't be any strange duplication. Thanks a ton! **

* * *

Witnessing buildings collapsing, people passing out, and microphones exploding does not pass through human memory very easily. Unfortunately for Anizawa Meito, not everyone views such an experience as being good. His bold gambit to create a night focused around a game had mixed results. It was quite fascinating, but they missed the main purpose to sell any merchandise at the store. He wanted to do it again after letting his emotions flow like the fire from of a chestnut-haired black mage.

However, with his face imprinted into the carpet, it was hard for him to defend the greatness of this experiment. He failed to perform a standard procedure that every employee would need to do: Report the idea to corporate. Even if this was a company about selling manga and anime, business laws had to be followed. President Takahashi was rather irritated that Anizawa had pulled off quite a stunt again. One of the managers from a different branch of Animate was watching him toil in shame.

**"You Fool!"** The president bellowed. **"Do you have any idea how such an impulsive plan could of ruined our company's good name?!"**

The spiky, short-haired manager sneered at him. "Just to be expected from Meito."

**"PRESIDENT!"** The tenchou bowed towards his superior. **"FORGIVE ME FOR MY INSOLENCE! BUT I WILL ASSURE YOU THAN NOTHING OF VALUE WAS LOSS FROM WHAT WAS DONE!"**

**"Don't you get it?!"** Takahashi punched him in the stomach, an appropriate amount of blood coming from his mouth. **"Even if we didn't lose anything, the fact remains that you weren't able to sell anything in stock! You are giving off the wrong impression of the company!"**

"You just need to stick to your wits with this kind of program. It's a good thing my store doesn't have to deal with such problems..."

That bold statement earned a punch across the face into a wall. **"You're in trouble too! The issue of digital distribution has affected all of us! Your branch has not suggested any new ideas to assist the company in years!"**

"What should we do, President?!" Anizawa asked, still trying to regain his breath.

**"That...I do not know."** Takahashi sighed, looking out the window from the multi-storied skyscraper. His voice was somber, but still retained fearlessness. **"Not only do we have the dropping trend of people coming to the store, but there is also our growing competition."**

"You don't mean Gamerz, do you?" The Gintama-sounding manager asked.

**"Yes. This coming weekend is their biannual major sale for the third quarter of this fiscal year. It's going to result in MASSIVE sales. If we don't get high enough numbers, we could be crippled beyond repair."**

**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"** Meito screamed. **"I NEVER WANT THAT TO HAPPEN! ANIMATE IS MY LIFE. THE LIFE OF A TRUE MAN IS ONE DEDICATED TO CREATED WORK!"**

**"Then you must find a way to gain back our fans!"** Takahashi pointed at him, giving the ultimate command.

All three of them were consumed in thought at that very moment. They were still stuck with this looming problem with their money and shareholders. If Animate were to go under, so many innocent Japanese would be turmoil. Maybe not complete turmoil, but still it would be quite a disheartening situation. So many people who worked here enjoyed it so much. The short-haired manager thought about a wild card at that very moment.

"What about Legendary Girl A?"

**"It is true, Legendary Girl A would assist us. But she buys from both companies."** The president stated.

"All we have to do is keep her distracted throughout the whole day..." Meito pondered.

"That is the crutch of the Gamerz's sales day. It is only once."

**"I HAVE A SOLUTION!"** Anizawa thought, his brainpower illuminating the room.

**"Damn it man, what is it?!"**

**"The illegal band I had performed with, two of them are close friends of Legendary Girl A!"**

**"WHAT?!"** The two of them shouted, as if lightning was piercing through their hearts.

**"Please, I'm begging you President!"** Meito bowed, slamming her hands against the floor, cracking it. **"Allow us to perform for Animate again! If we plan to perform in the middle of the day, Legendary Girl A will be forced to stay the entire time! We simply need to inspire everyone else to stay!"**

**"BRILLIANT!"** Takahashi said, slamming the table. Poor table broke from his brute strength. **"For this one time, I will allow you to use this tactic again in hope of swaying Legendary Girl A! But if we lose this day, it will all be on your head!"**

The other manager grinned, looking away. "Good Luck, Meito. You'll need it."

**"THANK YOU, PRESIDENT!"** He shouted with tears in his eyes. **"I WILL NOT FAIL YOU!"**

In that very second, he dashed out of the room. There were several things he had to do with only one day until the battle. One thing he had to do for sure though, was to preparate and reinforce the room. An unconscious customer can't purchase anything. Meito's rival slowly walked out of the room, hoping things would go by. He did enjoy his job despite his snarky attitude. Takahashi had to keep strong. It was going to be a hectic day getting this to work. With that girl appearing at the store, maybe his company would live another day. But still, there was one thing he did know he would have to do.

**"Tomoyo!"** He shouted, pressing the intercom. **"Bring me another table!"**

* * *

The next afternoon...

Things had gone along smoothly with Anizawa's plan. Everyone was gathered together prepared to relive the experience once again. Word caught around that the Animate band would play again. Those who were able to endure the raw power of the last concert had to experience it again. A few newbies wanted to see it too, not knowing what they were in for. Behind the layer of red, were a couple of disgruntled band mates. The tenchou shouted away as the guest of honor was still taking forever.

**"IS SHE COMING SOON?!"**

"For the fifthteenth time, yes." Kaito said, irritated. "Now stop shaking me."

Meito opened his eyes, realizing his force of habit was affecting the talent. **"My apologizes, Yasuhiro-san."**

"I wish she would get here already. I really don't feel like being here." Kagami groaned.

"Atleast you don't have to wear a costume this time." Ryuta mentioned.

"Well, that's true." Kagami thought. It was much better for her to wear her serafuku instead of a tight, spandex jumpsuit. She was starting to get ready, before she realized something in particular about the stage. "Is that a microphone stand?"

**"Hmm?"** Meito said, looking down. **"Ah yes, to stay focused on such a task at hand, I decided to bring in a stand to get the costumers' attention."**

"I see." Kaito said.

"Smart move." Ryuta nodded. "Things like that will keep you from going off track."

"We will be rewarded for this, right?" The tsundere thought realistically.

**"If everything goes to plan, the Animate Company will reimburse you for your sacrifice."**

"Oh crap, she's coming!" Kaito said.

They all took a deep breath as they waited for the otaku to enter. Konata hummed as she walked in front of Animate. She was ready, bringing her large coat that was filled with pockets for any merchandise. Despite the fact that Kagami was mysteriously gone from the bus stop, she didn't want anything to throw her off from this day. Even with her spending, she was quite an economical spender. She had to study this store first in order to get perfect discount from Gamerz.

Once she walked in, the curtain had opened up. A wave of praise came from the small crowd as they were about to be entertained. It was ready, with the loading screen behind the four performers with the little dancers and all. Anizawa gritted his teeth, seeing Legendary Girl A not looking at the large demonstration, forty-five degrees out of her eyesight. He had to get her to look; it would put everything to waste. He shouted to the crowd, hoping to get her attention.

**"This song was chosen, for someone important!"**

Those words caused Konata to open her eyes. Meito, Kaito, Kagami, and Ryuta's avatars moved around on the virtual stage as the mood was set. Co-workers had dimmed the lights in that special room, causing them to look at the screen. Without warning, the song had started up.

With a quick flick of the rest or smash of the cymbal, it was put into motion. Anizawa Meito sang the following motto to everyone within his vocal range:

**"**_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **_  
**_THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, _**_  
__**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

Following that epic phrase, came a memorable slew of guitars and percussion. All three instrument players were in-sync with the tune as they all received a unison bonus for nailing the notes. Kaito and Kagami followed in ascending patterns, while Ryuta did a quick roll across all of his drums. The crowd immediately was awakened by this song even as the instruments were moving down to a slower pace. Meito continued to sing on.

**"**_**She loves to laugh, she loves to sing! She does everything...**_**"**

The bespectacled otaku smashed his cymbal as the two guitarists played a louder riff. The tenchou was starting to get attention just like a few weeks ago, particularly from Legendary Girl A. His range increased in power from her very glance.

**"**_**She loves to move, she loves to groove! She loves the lovin' things!**_**"**

The virtual crowd from the game began to follow the singer at that point: **"**_**Oh all night! All--Night! Oh, every night! So hold tight, hooooold tight, ooh baby hold tight! OH! She said:**_

_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT**_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_

_**She said:**_

_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT**_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!"**_

Everyone in the store was really getting into it at that moment. Konata hopped around in the back as she tried to look on at the performers. Even the non-regulars were getting into it as they couldn't ignore the catchy lyrics. The co-workers watched on to see their manager act the best he can to get attention. A few of them were swooning; some of them were in awe, especially since he now had the courage to pull off a few tricks in his repertoire. Once the drums moved back to the regular pace, he knew he had to sing again.

**"**_**I was alone...I never knew. What good love could do?**_**"**

With the sound of that energetic pattern playing in his ears, Meito began to place a fist to his heart and his hand on the stand.

**"**_**Ooo, then we touched...THEN WE SANG! OF ALL THE LOVIN' THINGS!**_**"**

Everyone activated overdrive at that moment, lighting up the room in sea of gold.

**"**_**Oh, all night! All--Night! Oh, every night! So hooooold tight, hooooold tight, ooh baby hold tight! OH! She said:**_

_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

The crowd moved their hands in the air as Meito's burning passion spread through out the room. People became electric just from hearing the chorus of this 1980s classic. The bass became louder, the guitar became heavier and the room was shaking from blasting sounds. Anizawa leaned his back and pointed a hand at the crowd speaking those sweet words once again.

**"**_**OH! I said: ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **_  
_**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

After that last phrase, a flurry of blue, red, yellow, and orange notes attacked Kaito's part of the screen. His plastic guitar transmitted a howling, melodic squeal from each button he matched against. It didn't end there, a series of triplets moved acrossed the entire fret board. Lucky for himself and the crowd, his hands were up for the challenge. As the solo slowed down, people took time to realize the ambiance of Kagami and Ryuta. The tappings of tom-toms and strums of the low strings helped the tune sound much more inspiring.

Meito once again took center stage performing a new trick. He placed his foot on the base of the stand while bending it down, singing right in the crowd's ears.

**"**_**SHE SAID HOOOO---OOOOO----WHOOOAA---WHOOAA---OOLD!!!!!**_

_**HOLD ON! HOLD ON!**_

_**HOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLD ON!!!**_**"**

His amazing vocal range made it just perfect as the lead guitarist moved on to his second solo. It appeared much less difficult with its speed, but its power was still intimidating. With a few light movements and the crash of the cymbal, all the otakus were in constant motion. Dancing in the crowd or performing on stage, they all felt high and mighty. Meito took a quick stretch to prepare for his next move.

Without warning, his feet elevated off the air and near the ceiling. The only thing to hold him up was his brute strength that was holding onto the microphone for dear life. Looking down on the entire audience with his full fury, they were amazed to watch him sing on with the power of overwhelming passion on his side. Despite the spectacle, Kaito, Ryuta and Kagami grimaced knowing they couldn't look. Or that he might fall off.

**"**_**OH! SHE SAID! ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

**"**_**ANY WAY!!!**_**"** The tenchou harmonized as he returned back down to the ground. He decided to up the ante a bit with his next and probably most dangerous trick yet. Staying with the rhythm of the song, he repeated:

**"**_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

After a quick snare roll and the staircase of green, red, and yellow notes, Meito took a deep breath before repeating those oh-so-pleasing sounds.

**"**_**OH! SHE SAID, ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

Anizawa pulled off his stunt of the evening. While he kept his microphone close to his face, the stand itself was placed right up into the air in his untamed hands. It started to spin at mach speeds the metal pole combined with his muscle moved around the stage. Kaito took immediate notice to this, for even though he was at an easier section of the solo, he had to miss the notes to avoid getting hit in the face. The boy ducked several times while his hands moved across the guitar. Unfortunately for him, Meito was still stuck in the game's hypnotic trance.

**"**_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

The solo paused for a brief moment, letting Kaito and Kagami to get off the stage quick enough while still playing. They didn't want to end up as actual casualties towards this event. Ryuta started to worry, for even if he was far enough away from the singer, there was still that possibility. Konata and the crowd didn't seem to care though, listening to the rock music.

**"**_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

**"**_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, **__**  
**__**THAT'S THE WAY YOU NEED IT, **_  
_**ANY WAY YOU WANT IT!**_**"**

The gang felt a little bit more comfortable as easier, more variable sections of the song kicked in. The solo had ended and drums incorporated the high-hat once again. At this point, the game would cover singing the chorus. Meito had to keep up that harmony though just as the original singer intended. His arms spread like the wings of the phoenix as his voice pierced through the building.

**"**_**ANY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!**_**"**

**"**_**ANY WAY!!!**_**"**

With that last statement, the final notes were played. The song had completely ended.

The customers of Animate were in a complete uproar from such a simple, three minute event. Anizawa grinned on at everyone as sweat slowly started to drip from his brow. They were all excited like hamsters that fell into a cave loaded with sunflower seeds. He knew that this would be the right moment to ignite the spark in all of them. It would seal away the self-control side of their brains and let them be fueled by the desires in their hearts.

**"SHOPPERS OF ANIMATE!"** He screamed at all of them. Every single person with a wallet stood like a military soldier. **"Please...SHOP AT YOUR LEISURE!"**

All hell had broken loose at that point as everyone dashed out of the constructed room to the real parts of the store. The experienced workers of the manga shop were ready for such pandemonium to break out, but it had never happened before. Meito just stood on in awe from the stage as product was moved from shelf, to cashier, to exist. Even the Koizumi products were flying. He watched as someone played guard by the door, and several of the other members had to pick up fallen stands or shelves. They didn't even have to display the limited products as it all went.

The entire inventory of Animate...cleared out from one Saturday.

* * *

**"MEITO!!!!"** The President shouted over his intercom, nearly breaking it.

**"Yes, president?"**

**"Superb work!"** He deemed. **"I'm not quite sure what you pulled off, but the company is officially safe! Thanks to your branch's hard work combined with the sales made by Legendary Girl A, we were able to stomp the competition! They came no where close to our quota!"**

**"SERIOUSLY!?!"** Meito asked. His heart felt like it was going to burst in green, auto-evolutionary energy.

**"Listen, I do not mind if you continue working this angle. If you continue to keep sales like this, you'll go places!"**

**"THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TAKAHASHI!"**

It was Monday, with the sales placed into the computer and shelves were restocked with items. He pondered to himself thinking of his superior's last statements. He had worked at his station for a few years...if he could move up the company ladder, what that be the best road to take? Dealing with suits? He did like the attention of it all, but he didn't want to be stuck to one building. It couldn't be possible though, considering the current president of the company was so masculine and powerful.

**"From this day forward...ALL OF JAPAN WILL KNOW OUR NAMES!"**

"Sounds fun." One voice said.

"Ah man..." A female groaned.

"Just...one condition."

**"What's that?"**

"No microphone stands!" Kaito shouted.

Meito felt a teardrop on his cheek from that statement while Kaito took away his precious stand. If he was planning to hang around with this man every week, he shouldn't be wielding anything dangerous.

* * *

Now I hope you all have heard that song before. And also feel free to be mean when it comes to the grammatical/spelling/mechanical errors. Did you know that Word has a Reviewing Tool? Oh is it so damn irritating...around when I was checking through all it, it randomly came up and just drove me insane. If I made a mistake, tell me. One thing that's annoying about it is that instead of actually fixing the error automatically, it it only inserts the correction, not deleting the mistake.

Please review and critique!

**Secondary Disclaimer: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Any Way You Want It was written by Steve Perry and Neal Schon. Produced by Geoff Workman and Kevin Elson. Labeled by Columbia Records.**


	3. Chapter 3

Nothing much to say with this one. This one is a bit more strange than the others, but I really like it. I was glad that I could do a chapter about one of my favorite bands. So I hope when you all read this, that you all feel as good as I do right now.

And I promise that this chapter won't have the crazy errors like the last one did. ^^;

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and is dubbed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers.**

* * *

Kagami was walking sluggishly through the streets as she got out of school. It wasn't too great of a day for her. Being bombarded with tests by Sakuraba-sensei and poked constantly by her best friend during lunch made things very bad for her. So much so that she didn't want to go on the bus ride home. The tsundere's patience was wearing very thin, by today's standards. One could mistake her appearance as a lavender tiger at close range.

"Lousy school. Can't wait till I'm out of there." She muttered to herself. "However, college isn't looking too great."

The elder Hiiragi twin had to worry about this concept soon enough. Even though she would have to eventually move to college, she worried about her living conditions constantly. After today, she didn't really like the idea of living with Tsukasa or Konata. Both of them would just be irritating hassles even if they had great cooking skills. Her hands began to shake just thinking about them.

"Stupid Konata. Had to poke at my stomach while I was eating today. Yes, I worry about my weight. Who cares? She should be worrying about her own weight. She's so tiny and spends all day sitting, that her metabolism could crash at any minute! Can't believe she roped me into buying her something..."

"_If get me the newest, limited edition issue of Jump, I promise not to make any weight jokes at you for a month._" Konata said, as Kagami remembered earlier that day.

"Better do this as soon as possible."

The tsundere walked her way to the one store she could think of where they would still be selling manga magazine. Of course, she didn't want to go all the way to Akihabara for the Gamerz store. She signed, feeling that buying items from Animate would become an awkward experience, after being very admired by the manager. While she would normally ignore such people, Anizawa's form of obsession almost had sort of a gravitational pull.

Kagami stopped her tracks as she passed by the store. She took a few steps back, looking to see that door was closed and the lights were off. It was very peculiar considering the sales team. If they could keep the store open up all day, they would. Even the displays were taken down. She shrugged it off, deciding tomorrow would be better for it. Even if tomorrow she would be barraged by wave after wave of fat jokes. At least Kagami could counter with short jokes.

At that moment, a pair of hands reached out of the shadows, grabbing her by the shoulders. Kagami was about to react, but couldn't. A strange smell had immediately knocked her unconscious. The poor girl fell limp as her body was carried into a nearby alley. A few people in red aprons moved quickly as the dim sky concealed their identities. Everything would soon come to pass in a few minutes...

* * *

Kagami's eyes immediately shot open to see the odd surroundings by her. It was quite illuminated, causing her to shut her eyes back shut. She tried moving, but couldn't. Her arms were chained to a metal hook about a foot above her heads. Fortunately for her, it was long enough and loose enough not to cause any damage. A television screen was placed by a door that was right in front of them.

The twin-tailed girl began to squirming away on the chains. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, but it sounded an awful amount like a blog written by Konata. The lights soon turned down to a less blinding mode and the screen turned on. A voice then filled the room with relief. A few voices actually.

"Finally...I can see now." A boy said.

"Who said that?!" Kagami shouted.

"Kagami?"

"Kaito-san, is that you?" She said with a bit of rage. "Did you put me in this situation!?"

"Turn your head." He said plainly.

The Hiiragi twin did so, seeing Kaito in the same situation. His friend was also in the chains, waving at her with his captured hand.

"Oh great, I can see where this is going." Kagami said, connecting the dots.

"Yep." Kaito said.

"I hope this doesn't happen again." Ryuta sighed.

The television screen finally came up with a picture. It was a shaky webcam, with the manager of Animate grinning right into the lens. All three of them felt a series of sweat drops forming all over their bodies. He backed away, allowing everyone to see his body language.

**"HELLO MY FELLOW BANDMATES!"** Meito grinned.

"Hi, Meito-san." The boys said flatly.

"Why are we chained up like this?!" Kagami demanded.

"**No worries, Kagami-sama. Nothing is going to happen. This is just a formality."**

"Doesn't answer my question." She grumbled

"Why are we tied up though?" Kaito asked. "If you just wanted to talk, you should come to us. I just wanted to buy the newest Jump."

"Me too." Ryuta added. "But this is a signal; that we are men and we need to be able to kick the habit of Jump."

"It's just too addicting really."

"I picked a bad day to come here..." The tsundere said.

**"We received another gig. The only issue was that it was tonight."**

"Okay, that's understandable." The Marimo-head teenager said. "Still, you could have just told us."

**"The reason we chained you up is so that you couldn't ignore us, run away, or cover your ears. You guys might have had homework, but this gig could be a great win for Animate."**

"Now this is making a little bit of sense." Kaito said.

"Still wish we could have avoided the dungeon scenario." Kagami said her voice thick like natto.

"Where is the venue?"

**"Just a cosplay cafe." **Meito smiled

"Cool." Kaito shrugged.

"If you just told us that, we would have hopped on instantly."

"Don't tell me I have to cosplay..." Kagami grunted.

**"Well..."** He stated. He walked away from the camera at the moment. The boys were rather interested to know what was going to happen, but the tsundere just wasn't pleased by this at all. Felt like everyone would take advantage of her patience. Meito came back on the screen with a picture of an interesting little outfit. It was very decorative, but a common staple for anime shows. **"Since we are mostly male and this is a cosplay cafe, we'll just be wearing these waiter's outfits. Even Kagami-san shall be wearing this."**

"That doesn't sound too bad." Kagami shrugged.

"Ah yes...that's pretty nice." Kaito commented. "Even girls can look nice in that outfit. It's very strange how you can find moé moments in any kind of clothing."

**"So...ARE YOU ALL UP FOR THIS!?"** He said with complete confidence and excitement.

Kaito and Kagami acknowledged their very odd friend's request. Playing the game was still very fun, even if this was probably the most demented way to convince them to play it. Ryuta was interested, but had a grimace on his face. He did want to change things up a little.

"I'll join, but we need to pick a song with good drums." Ryuta said.

"Oh, I can handle that Ryuta-kun." Kaito said.

**"EXCELLENT! WE SHALL PERFORM IN ONE HOUR!"**

"An hour?!" All three of them shouted.

The metal covering their wrists broke off at that moment, freeing them. They weren't sure what to expect from this night.

* * *

In one hectic hour filled with screaming and complaints, things were finally set up. Animate finally took the time to purchase their own copy of the game along with a fully set up Xbox 360 Elite. Everything was downloaded for gaming perfection and longevity. All four players were huddled behind a curtain around the large screen television they were prepared to play off of.

"Everything set up?" Ryuta asked, sitting by his drum kit.

**"Yes, Ryuta-san!"** Meito confirmed. **"The televisions are hooked up to the game and ready to go! There's the one behind us, of course, and the one in front of the stage so we can look at our notes."**

"Wonderful." Kaito said.

"Looks like things will go along well." Kagami said, stretching her neck in her outfit. It was kind of loose for her, but it wasn't like the clothes men wore outrageously different.

"I like this venue though." Kaito said, looking through a small opening through the curtains.

"What are they dressed as?" His friend looking over him.

"Oh, just a drama anime." He said in a bland manner, getting Meito's attention.

**"Oooh! What a spectacle!"**

"Could I have the beef bowl?" One of the customers asked.

"Ahaha~" A waitress said, wearing a long taupe-colored wig. "You'll have to wait twenty minutes."

"Not a bad choice for a theme." Kaito grinned as he looked on.

"Oy, why is she playing the main heroine?" Ryuta complained. "Her boobs are too big."

"No one is going to care." His best friend debated.

**"Of course they will care! Marketing relies on authenticity!"** Meito defended.

"Better move this along..." Kagami groaned to herself. She had better get them focused on the matter at hand then have this turn into one long otaku conversation. "Anizawa-san, where are we playing anyway?"

The hot-blooded teacher looked away from the waitresses to return to the gig. He smiled proudly as he wiped his thumb across his nose. **"Simple, Kagami-san. We shall stick to everything as my superiors have instructed! We are striking where the iron is hot, but playing at LEGENDARY GIRL A'S COSPLAY CAFE!"**

"What?!" Kagami shouted. "I have to play in front of Konata?!"

"You didn't look ahead?" Kaito said. "I mean, Konata and Patricia are right there." He said, pointing at the two girls sitting at a table. Konata was all dressed up with a plastic sword and everything. "I heard Hiyori-chan is going to join them."

"I...gah..." The tsundere growled, placing her fingers between her eyes. "Let's just play. I just want to get on with this thing."

Meito gave the signal towards the manager of the cafe as he went towards his position. The manager allowed the lights to dim, causing excitement to steam from the customers. Ryuta returned to his kit, while Kagami and Kaito moved to the left and right sides of the stage, respectively. The curtain slowly rose up, showing silhouettes of all four members. The lights flashed on them instantly.

As they were about to start...

"Oi! Kagamin is playing again!" Konata said from the crowd. "You should be dressed like one of us!"

"No!" She denied.

"Ah...but we're missing someone! And purple haired girls are perfect for that duckbill style of hair!" Konata quipped, causing Kagami to clench her fist.

"What's your band called!?" A customer asked.

"_Nanashi?_" The guitarist suggested.

"Yeah, that works." Ryuta shrugged.

After all the banter settled, the song finally set up. The setting in the games matched perfectly with the silence of the audience. On one side of the screen, a small amount of notes dropped across each fret. Kaito strummed them delicately, as the sounds of acoustic guitar echoed throughout the cafe for a good twenty seconds. All was calm and serene as everyone tilted to their heads to the sounds of the instruments and bells. Meito stuck out his hand as he began to sing the lyrics:

**"**_**And the men who hold high places...must be the ones who start!**_**"** He began, with Kaito now playing chords. **"**_**To mold a new reality, closer to the heart.**_

_**Closer to the heart."**_

Meito slowly bowed his head as the guitarist finished his picking with a nice three-note chord. He took a short breath, as the bass and drums entered their way into the song with steady beats.

**"**_**The blacksmith and the artist! Reflect it in their art! They forge their creativity...closer to the heart.**_

_**Yes, closer to the heart.**_**"**

Ryuta ended that moment with a smooth roll across all of his drums, landing a unison bonus from the team. As gold shined in the eyes of every patron, the song had moved at a slow pace with nothing coming up on any side of the screen. Only the sounds of lovely chimes had filled the room during the brief stop. It was quite appropriate considering that it was the first week of December. As the game play returned to the players, Meito made a kick at the audience.

**"**_**Philosophers and ploughmen! Each must know his part! To sow a new mentality...closer to the heart!"**_

Things start to really shift for the song at that point. The bass started to sound a bit louder while the drums started to play in a more intricate manner.

**"**_**YES, CLOSER TO THE HEART!!!! YEAH!**_**"**

Meito bent down to his knees and pressed against his diaphragm as he began to speak at his newest vocal high point.

**"**_**WHOOOOOAAA!!!**_**"**

The band's points went up insanely high at that point, as Kaito took the stage with his solo. It was only a few long sustains, the sound it created caused a new aura of excitement to flourish throughout the crowd. The band truly moved in tandem from that moment. The guitar played a few swift, descending notes while the drummer pounded away at his snares and cymbals. Kagami kept up the pace with a few fast plucks of her own while Meito was tapping the microphone as the game instructed.

As the Kaito's instrument squealed banshee notes, the crowd was really getting into it. Even with the loud guitar, the bass and the drums erratic patterns blended in with the melody incredibly well. Everyone began to slap against their tables like the low notes being played on stage. Unknown to Konata and Patricia however, a ravaged Hiyori was panting as she came into the cafe. She slowly set herself down by her friends while they were raving on.

"Oooh, this sounds amazing!" Konata cheered.

"Musicians are enchanting, aren't they?" Patricia pondered on as she looked at the stage.

"Did, did I miss anything?" Hiyori panted.

"They just finished up their solo."

Just as they spoke, the blue from Kaito's side of the screen had disappeared. The music had returned to the early stage of the song that only focused on acoustic guitar, but this time it was backed up by the bass line. Ryuta intensified the sound smashing the bass pedal, the snare, and the tom-tom all at the same time. After Meito stopped tapping the microphone, the song returned to the main riff as vocals entered the scene:

**"**_**WHOA! WHOA! YOU CAN BE THE CAPTAIN, AND I WILL DRAW THE CHART!**_**"**

The Tenchou directed his eyes across the room as he smiled at all of them. **"**_**SAILING INTO DESTINY...CLOSER TO THE HEART!**_

_**CLOSER TO THE HEART! **_

_**WELL, CLOSER TO THE HEART! YEAH!!!**_

_**CLOSER TO THE HEART!**_

_**CLOSER TO THE HEART!**_**"**

Focus moved to Ryuta at the moment, which went on a multiple rolls, followed by several various irregular beats between each drum. Bashing two pads at once, he constantly switched from the regular pattern to these sporadic movements. Meito continued echoing the chorus throughout the room.

**"**_**I SAID: CLOSER TO THE HEART!**__**  
**__**WELL, CLOSER TO THE HEART! YEAH!!!  
**__**CLOSER TO YOUR HEART.**__**  
**__**CLOSER TO YOUR HEART!**_**"**

The song capped off that moment with one last crazy moment from the drums, followed by two long sustains from the two guitars. Meito gave off a loud **"**_**WHOOOOA!!!"**_ as the song ended with the serene setting it had painted. As the song concluded, the crowd started to give a standing ovation. The power of progressive rock had invigorated the audience. The waitresses in particular were surprised at their performance. They had to perform too, but it wasn't usually that elaborate.

"Ooo, wow! Amazing! Brilliant!" Several voices came from the audience.

"That was fun..." Ryuta said.

"The solo wasn't that hard, still very impressive though." Kaito nodded.

**"YA-HOO!"** Meito cheered as he jumped around the stage. One could believe that he had rockets in his shoes. **"I HAVE IMPRESSED LEGENDARY GIRL A!"**

"Play again! Play again!" Konata began to chant. Others joined into fun by stomping against the table. "Play again! Play again!"

"I'm up for more songs." Kaito stretched his neck.

**"That same band has a forty minute album in the game, let's play that!"**

"I thought this was only going to be one song kind of thing." Kagami said.

"Kagamin..." Konata moaned. "You can't just entertain the crowd by playing just one song! When you buy a tankōbon, you don't just stop at one chapter. You read all the way through it!"

"I've had a long day!" She defended.

"Did you happen to get the newest Jump?" She suggested. Kagami stiffened, forgetting about the deal they had made. "If you play through the whole set list, I won't make any insults! You might even lose a few pounds!"

The twin-tailed girl looked away from her friend. It was a great deal, but she wished she could have reminded her about the positives without saying anything snappy. She shrugged it off, looking back at the crowd with enthusiasm.

"Let's play the album!" She shouted, causing the audience to go into a frenzy.

As the game loaded up, the cosplay cafe would go through a night they would never forget.

* * *

**"ALRIGHT!"** President Takahashi screamed as he slammed the phone, breaking it. He pointed to several people in his office. **"GOOD NEWS, TEAM. ANIMATE IS SECURE FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR!"**

Meito, Kaito, Kagami and Ryuta looked at each other, pleased by the results. Playing this faux-band gave them incredible benefits. After playing that eight song set in Akihabara, they had received great recognition through several otaku circles. Animate was able to rake in all the cash and everyone was rather pleased. Anizawa bowed down to his superior.

**"I am..."** He muttered, tears rolling down from his cheeks. **"So proud to work for this company. I'm so happy that we had escaped the jaws of destruction in the nick of time."**

"We're all proud, Meito-san." Kaito said, bowing down to his level.

**"Yet...while it is good that we avoided any problems, WE HAVE A NEW MISSION!" **The president boomed at his team of entertainers. **"I have set up a new venue for you all! If we get this, you guys will become really famous!"**

"Fame?!" Ryuta said, taken back from the statement.

"Wow...didn't expect that. Though I've wondered what it would be like to have adoration on a large scale like all of Japan." Kagami wondered.

**"There is just one catch...it's on CHIRSTMAS EVE!"**

"Christmas Eve?!" All four of them questioned.

The bar of difficulty was really raised high from that mere utterance. On a special day such as that, they couldn't screw up. _Nanashi_ circled around their boss to be briefed for their next assignment. Something on this level of magnitude could make or break the success they had briefly owned.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that. And yes, that means I will be making a chapter around Chirstmas. This will be your Chirstmas special from me, Lucky Star fans! Please review!

**Disclaimer Number Two: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Closer to the Heart was written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart and Peter Talbot. Produced by Rush and Terry Brown and Labeled by Mercury Records.**


	4. Chapter 4

Here we go, with another Chapter of Vigorous Intent! It's not as popular as my other story, but I enjoy writing it anyway. It's a good way for me to but more of my fandom thoughts elsewhere. And I shall be using it, like right now, for a specific purpose.

For Holiday based chapters with Lucky Star, I was thinking of using this as a medium. Christmas specials are great, and this is my way of giving a Christmas Special for all you Lucky Star fanfiction readers. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers.**

* * *

"Finally…" Meito uttered to himself.

The enigmatic, creeping presence known as time had at long last, reached the moment of judgment for the band, _Nanashi_. It was Christmas Eve, as a rather diverse crowd started to gather in the main area. A large stage was prepped and polished for a perfect performance. The four members of the faux-band were looking at a television behind the stage, reviewing their objectives. Something this large would either make them skyrocket or plummet to the ground.

"We have to give them a great concert." Kaito obviously stated.

"It may be embarrassing." Kagami gulped. "But we can't let them down."

"Half of the crowd is our friends and associates. We'll at least have them on our side." Ryuta mentioned.

"Yes, but the other half is a bunch of musical snobs and critics. They believe that just because we are a cover band then we should be scorned by the country."

"**WE SHALL PROVE TO THEM THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO THEY ARE MESSING WITH! LISTENING TO **_**NANASHI**_** IN ACTION IS A JOY TO BEHOLD!**" The tenchou encouraged.

"Didn't we have to be specific with our song selection?" The tsundere recalled.

"To impress the crowd, we have to play something a bit independent. Something to uplift everyone while we show off our obscure knowledge." Kaito explained. "The instruments don't have any requirements."

"Good." She nodded.

"Everything is set up?" The bespectacled teenager asked.

"**Yes, Ryuta-san. Animate has taken the time to install a large TV behind the stage for the audience to watch. Like always, we'll get one in front of us. But the goal is to show off our charisma on stage.**"

"My bass playing is good enough, right?" Kagami said, looking away from the group.

"Kagami-san, your bass playing is fine. You just need to have more confidence in yourself." Kaito reassured.

"But it's not like that's a problem." Ryuta interrupted. "We could put on No Fail Mode and no one would probably notice."

"Quiet you." The lilac-haired girl snarled. "I suppose while we are waiting then, I'll go get the instruments."

Kagami went to a room away from the stage where all of the items were being stored. She wasn't as confident in her abilities as the others, but some practice would get her in the spirit. Unbeknownst to her, the three men huddled around the corner of the room. They made diabolical grins as they eyed Kagami and each other back and forth. Once that door slammed, they immediately began talking.

"Okay, everything ready?"

"**Yes, Kaito-san. We shall be initiating Tsundere Embarrassment Plan Alpha.**"

"It's a good thing weren't required to make any changes." Ryuta nodded.

"Oh yeah…" Kaito nodded. "We have to make Kagami a victim of circumstance, but she'll understand why we did it."

"**Speak for yourself.**" Meito said bluntly. "**You two may do what you wish, but I'm going full out to impress the crowd. You'll just have to see what happens when those curtains rise.**"

"Back." Kagami surprised them all. The three of them panicked as she placed the instruments by the large television. "Are you all ready to play in front of everyone?"

"Um…almost." Ryuta scratched his head.

"I was thinking of freshening up before we perform. So the critics can see us in a pure form." Kaito suggested.

"Pure form?" Kagami raised an eyebrow at them.

"**I believe Kaito-san shall be taking a shower before he performs.**"

"That's it." The guitarist nodded.

"Okay then."

"Perhaps you should take one too Kagami. You'll be in front of everyone after all and lights will be on you."

Kagami rubbed her chin in concern from that remark. She didn't worry about her clothes that often, but during the other performances she had received her own outfit. This time, she was free to wear whatever she wanted. The tsundere began to think about earlier today, leading up to the event. She made a wince realizing she had forgotten to shower.

"I suppose I will." The bassist said.

Animate, being prepared for just about anything had separate showers set up in a nearby room. Without warning, Kaito dashed into the room to clean himself quickly. Kagami took a long stretch going into her own separate area. The other two band members made a quick glance as they put their plan into action.

In the main hall, several packs of people were discussing about recent events. Coming to this event was more of a formality for the guests, while the critics were very serious on the manner. The students of Ryōō High School were at a big, circular table while several others were placed at different sections of the room. They all hoped to be amazed by this new performance, rather than be overwhelmed from the one a few months ago.

"Shouldn't take too long now." Konata smiled.

"Do you think they will play something Christmas related?" Tsukasa asked.

"I don't see a reason why. It is the holidays." Ayano mentioned.

"Yeah, but it hardly has felt like it." Misao sulked. "We haven't had any snow, just freezing cold weather."

"We just need some precipitation to get the snow." Miyuki added. "We would have no problem in it sticking to the ground.

"But, it's the lack of atmosphere that's the most annoying. And it's completely thrown off my sleep schedule." The short otaku complained.

"Especially with work." Patricia said. "I think they are moving our Christmas special at the café because of how…un-Christmas like it feels."

"But there are still Christmas specials!" The younger Hiiragi twin said.

"How many of them are new?" Hiyori asked.

"Well…not too many."

"The networks love to marathon specials and movies related to the season though." Misao mentioned. "Does bring back some memories."

"Ooh, that reminds me." Ayano said. "Don't you have a cousin, Izumi-san?"

"That's right, where is Yu-chan?" Tsukasa said.

"Yu-chan had some bad luck around the time of the last concert. I don't think she'll be going to one anytime soon." Konata joked.

"I believe Minami-san and Kobayakawa-san will be spending the holiday together." Miyuki recalled. "They seem to get along very well."

Hiyori and Patricia smirked at the remark. "Makes sense. Of course." They said.

After that statement, a new focus was placed on the stage. A curtain was raised displaying a massive TV where a pre-loaded song was chosen. Instruments be them plastic or real were placed on the ground or in front of the television. The girls' conversation and reminiscing lasted for a nice period of time. Everyone placed their attention on the stage that would light the room with sound and whimsy.

Everything was precisely set up from the important changes to smallest details. Soon, one side of the room erupted in cheer as Ryuta walked his way to the drum kit. He waved at the crowd then appropriate sat himself down. Following him, was his best friend Kaito who ran across the stage. The clapping sounded much louder as the guitarist picked up his instrument with prize and showed off metal horns.

Kagami on the other hand…

"What did you guys do!?" The tsundere yelled while she walked up on stage.

The boys smiled as their bassist walked up on stage. Despite the fact that she was fuming from her situation, she couldn't help but look cute in her uniform. It was a very old-style, crushed velvet dress in dark blue and brown. It was very puffy at the bottom while quite simple at the top, making it the center of attention. She would definitely go off on a long rant if her reputation weren't on the line.

The otakus on the main floor had stars in their eyes looking at the girl. Konata in particular had to cheer for her best friend.

"Oooh, Kagamin is looking very pretty this Christmas Eve!" She squealed. "Quite the combination of tsundere moé combined with Victorian garb."

"Shut up!" She ranted. "I went to take a shower, and they took my clothes! The only thing I could wear at this moment was this thing or a shrine maiden uniform!"

Kaito and Ryuta looked away making innocent whistles while Kagami continued to look angry. The spectators had a good laugh at the event while the critics looked unimpressed over the actions. They did not know if this would be apart of the act or not. However…what was truly apart of the act, was something that could only come from the mind of Anizawa Meito.

When the laughs died down, a light pointed at the top of the building. Meito stood on a steel beam as he looked down at everyone with a big grin. He grabbed onto a metal beam and traveled down on a zip-line at daring speeds. The hot-blooded manager completed his entrance by performing two gainers before landing on his feet. Not only was the crowd amazed by that, but he was only wearing shoes and a pair of black pants, despite the harsh cold.

He grabbed the microphone with unbreakable determination in his eyes.

"**ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!**" He questioned the audience.

One half of the room immediately responded with positive reaction. Yet what they were not prepared for is that Meito's empowering attitude would not follow the song ahead.

The atmosphere slowly started to form as the game began to load. Things felt rather hazy, reflecting on the cold, strange nature of the weather. This song used the vocalist as its selling point, making Meito grit his teeth. He took a deep breath and cleansed his soul with the winter's chill as he read off the words from the screen:

"_**Winter taking days…**__"_

A bleary synthesizer sound filled the air, making people turn heads. Meito pointed at the crowd as he shouted his next line.

"_**NIGHTS FILLED WITH LONGER HOURS! Hey!**__"_

The blurry noise faded, bringing in a whole new world of sound. Ryuta played his drums in a very fast, yet in complex pattern using the hi-hat and bass pedal at different times. Every few seconds, Meito would repeat the chorus:

"_**Nights filled with longer hours!**_

Kaito played a powerful, loud electronic riff with each note. It went in a pattern from playing that synthesized sound to an earthy, low melody. Kagami strummed her bass to keep up the rhythm, letting the singer go at it again.

"_**Nights filled with longer hours!**__"_

The crowd looked on with intrigue and amazement. A few were cringing their teeth from the new sound as others nodded to the music. It was hard to pin down how one felt about the music. They listened further to the eerie tune.

"_**Nights filled with longer hours!**__"_

Things slowed down at that moment, bringing back the foggy atmosphere. The drums moved down to just the bass pedal and the guitar played a long three-note chord. Meito looked at the crowd with a softer face as he spoke in a lower tone.

"_Winter…solstice…_

_Passing by us, temperatures dropping try us…_

_With colder feelings."_

Meito took a pause for a second while the two guitar players lightly played their instruments. The dulcet tones really perked the ears of the audience. The manager grinned at them all as he looked at the ground, singing his next lyric.

"_**Black ice and hidden lust.**__"_

Ryuta returned to normal speed with his drum kit, chipping away the skepticism of the critics.

"_**White sheets of snow concealing!**__"_

The mood had completely changed at that point. On Kaito's side of the screen, a long string of notes start at the green fret. It slowly moved across the board as the guitar echoed a space-like hum with each strum. The four of them began to play a bit more relaxed from the soothing words.

"_Gloves on hands…_

_With warmer pasts._

_And plastic sleds cracking…_

_The newly chapped."_

As Meito extended the last few letters of that sentence, the audience was starting to feel touched. The looked on with cheer as the mood of the holiday season was perfectly reflected with this tune. It slowly sank in, giving goose bumps to all those with hope. Hope for the weather, hope for presents, and hope for a happy, blissful end to the New Year. Mouths were agape as this was only the first half of the song.

"_Huddling against the walls,_

_Of shrinking college trends._

_With the days living faster now;_

_We cast our make-pretends._

_Extra heat demands, a rising constant power._

_Darkness making days…"_

The instruments stopped at that second, leaving the crowd in bewilderment. Kagami and Kaito rushed up against Meito, all in order to sing that memorable hook:

"_**NIGHTS FILLED WITH LONGER HOURS!**__"_

Ryuta stood from his drum kit, to join in with harmony. _"__**Hey!**__"_

Everyone in the band returned to the normal tune after that, but now with the appeal of the audience on their side. The electric screech of the guitar along with the bass really made the spectators cheer. As the singer and drummer kept up with the pattern, Kaito and Kagami entertained the crowd by putting their backs together. Playing in such an awkward stance made to a real pleasure for the crowd to watch.

"_**Hey!**__"_

"_**NIGHTS FILLED WITH LONGER HOURS!**__"_

"_**Hey!**__"_

The mood slowed down once again, bringing back in the foggy state. Everyone was a bit startled at this point, because they were not sure what was going to come next. It was all quiet with just the sound of lightly humming static. Ryuta slowly brought his sound back, lightly tapping on his hi-hat and having a small snare roll. Meito shifted his eyes around the crowd as he whispered the next verse.

"_Got a jagged gorgeous winter from the summer's thread,_

_All the lies you told about me, _

_They were totally, totally true."_

Kaito then eliminated the sound of the fog, making the crowd listen to the new sounds of his guitar. Though he was hitting a small number of notes, they all had a rigid, yet fitting sound to go along with the song. It was brief though, as he stepped back to let Kagami and Ryuta's rhythm take control. The singer continued on…

"_And thinking through the noise, you go back to bed._

_With your tinker-tinker toys,_

_You gotta think it think it think it thinkin' through…"_

The guitarist came back with his loud screeches, but this time with the light singing of angels in the background. The song track had a few surprises of its own. People listened in as they heard the nearly inaudible background noises. All the sounds from the simple bass to the outrageous guitar wrapped together like a beautiful present. Meito placed his hand on his heart going through the lyrics again.

"_Got a jagged gorgeous winter from the summer's thread,_

_All the lies you told about me, _

_They were totally, totally true._

_And thinking through the noise, you go back to bed._

_With your tinker-tinker toys _

_You gotta think it think it think it thinkin' through…"_

Anizawa took a quick inhale before his next set of words. While the game would continue to play the chorus, the lead singer was instructed to do something else. Kaito played a mini-trill signaling the vocalist to do what he does best.

"_**DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT!**_

_**DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT!**__"_

With a cymbal crash and flair from the guitar, the song was drawing to its close. Despite its heart-warming beauty, it did have to slow down at a bit. Kagami took center stage for a moment for bass played alone during the last three phrases.

"_**DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT!**_

_**DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT OUT, DRAG IT!**_

_**OUTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!**_"

Kaito ended the song with a quick slide across the guitar. The in-game chorus went on singing the song as the fog had disappeared with the tune. Once the smoke had clear and the band was the done, the only thing left was a stunned crowd.

Each member of the audience made a standing ovation. The soul of the song had invigorated them for a lovely Christmas. The band waved at them as several people stared at them with starry-eyes. One lavender-haired girl though, was a bit more surprised at something else. She made a big exclamation to inform the arena of what had happened.

"Everyone! Look outside!" Tsukasa said. "It's snowing!"

The students of Ryōō looked on as they gathered by the windows.

"Amazing, it is snowing." Miyuki wondered.

"Was it…because of Kaito-kun and the others?" Patricia stated.

"No way." Konata said. She immediately ran towards the stage and started to chant. "More songs! More songs!"

The half filled with otakus went along with the cheer, making more noise with every statement. The critics had already taken the bait with the band's indie knowledge and were ready to see what else they could do. All four band mates looked at each other, all asking the same question.

"Shall we play another?" Kagami grinned.

"May as well. It's Christmas." Meito smiled, preparing for the next challenge. Something a bit more difficult would be a perfect way to end the night.

* * *

That's right people...two-parter! When shall I update? Hmm...you'll see. ^_^ Please review! Oh yeah, on a smaller note I'm still working on the Haruhi fic and it might update later. It's just a matter of coincidence, this and that won't update at the same time:

**Disclaimer Ni: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. A Jagged Gorgeous Winter was written by Adam Arrigo and the other members of The Main Drag. Their album, Yours As Fast As Mine, was self-released. Look them up on youtube!**


	5. Chapter 5

Here you go everyone. The second half of my Christmas Special. I apologize for being late, but you can look at this as one of those delightful after-Christmas sales that just about every retailer is having. I just didn't feel too much in the Christmas Spirit of things just because it didn't snow. Plus, I did have to make a few unprepared things, so that sucked.

But I wish that you all will enjoy this.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers. Please support the official release. **

* * *

The audience was still in sheer awe of _Nanashi's_ performance. Just like rumors said, the band would really leave a lasting impression for anyone who watched. Everything from the mood to the outdoors had shifted. They were tense now as the curtains had closed for a minute for the band to talk about what to do. It was pretty presentation to watch the band play, but the game's interface might change things up a little.

"**Excellent…THIS DAY WILL LIVE DOWN IN HISTORY FOR ANIMATE!**" Anizawa cheered.

"We promised them an encore." Kagami wondered. "If this is going to put us on the map, then they will want something big."

"Oh yeah." Ryuta worried, stretching the collar of his shirt. "People will usually do online reviews of these kinds of events. That will shoo away any new fans from attending concerts."

Meito felt like an icicle pierced through his heart. "**WHAT?!**"

"It's true." Kaito nodded. "But we can definitely do it! It just comes down to the song selection! All those people out there will eat out of the palm of hand. We could sing a song about girls or robbing the president, and they'd still love it."

"**FOOL!**" Meito pointed at the guitarist, his finger nearly a few centimeters away. Kaito jumped back from it. "**WE CAN'T LOOK DOWN ON THE AUDIENCE! WE ARE NO BETTER THAN THEY ARE!**"

"Because we are using plastic instruments…" Kagami mumbled.

"**Hmm…**" The tenchou was oddly consumed by thought at that point. "**We need something that relates to what's been going on at the concert, while maintaining our passionate image. This is quite the quandary…**"

"I really don't care what we play." Ryuta shrugged.

"Me neither." The tsundere nominated.

"Humph." Kaito grunted, getting their attention. "I know the perfect song."

In a flash, the song was selected. Everyone was a bit nervous about the difficulty, but Kaito had faith in his band. The curtain slowly rose up with a prepared song waiting in the wings. The audience applauded realizing that the band would go through with their encore. Each member waved to different parts of the crowd as the song would load. Kaito stood by center stage real quick to relay a message:

"Everyone, prepare yourself! This is one of the hardest songs we can give to you!"

In one fast swoop, Kaito removed the hooded sweatshirt and undershirt, tossing them at one side of the room. It landed in the middle of a particular group of high school students. They looked at him in awe as he gave them a two-fingered wave. Ryuta, amazed by his friend, joined along with him by jetting away from his drum kit. He removed his shirts and tossed them at the audience, pointing at the crowd.

"**NOW WE ARE PERFECT!**" Meito declared, as his undressed mates stood by him in victory.

"Does that mean Kagamin is going to take off her clothes too?" Konata asked aloud.

"Not on your life!" She hissed.

With the wardrobe problems aside, everyone returned back to their serious mood. Ryuta sat back down to his drums right in the nick of time. The song had completely loaded, showing off the name of the song and original band to the crowd. Several people looked in confusion at it, but the critics were fairly interested to see how hard it was. That band had an interesting history when it came to their playing styles.

Then the guitar notes came…

They traveled at a rather unorthodox speed going all across the fret board in a short period of time. Kaito clenched his fingers as he furiously pressed the appropriate buttons at the right time. High speed hammer-on/pull-off fests weren't hard to him, but the kicker with this was that nearly every note had to be strummed. It deceiving chart made the audience a little curious, but true guitar players knew about the difficulty of the song.

Despite the sheer determination Kaito had to place into his guitar playing, the sound it created was absolutely beautiful. It was very soft and melodic even with the rapid speed. His playing was so intense, that Kagami and Ryuta nearly missed their cues to start. The drummer tapped his snare twice, before playing a relatively simple beat. Kagami's chart consisted of a few light plucks that would sometimes descend or ascend.

Anizawa would really have to try hard to match up with his band mates. He took another deep breath before speaking the subtle lyrics to go along with the melody:

"_**Come to decide that the things that I tried,**_

_**Were in my life just to get high on. **_

_**When I sit alone, come get a little known,**_

_**But I need more than myself this time. **_

_**Step from the road to the sea to the sky, **_

_**And I do believe that we rely on. **_

_**When I lay it on, come get to play it on, **_

_**All my life to sacrifice.**_"

He wasn't really shifting his vocal range, but he didn't have to. The crowd became immediately enraptured with the lyrics. The tone was pleasant, yet very serious and haunting in some form. The instrument players started to groove along with their singer as he spoke his longer notes.

"_**Hey oh…**_

_**Listen what I say oh… **_

_**I got your hey oh…**_

_**Now listen what I say oh…**_"

Everyone activated their overdrive just as Ryuta made a small break with his drums. The next verse had begun.

"_**When will I know that I really can't go,**_

_**To the well once more time to decide on. **_

_**When it's killing me, when will I really see? **_

_**All that I need to look inside. **_

_**Come to believe that I better not leave, **_

_**Before I get my chance to ride. **_

_**When it's killing me, what do I really need?**_

_**All that I need to look inside.**_"

Meito extended his hand to the crowd as if he were specifically talking to each member. Kaito got closer to the singer, to song along with the harmony of the chorus.

"_**Hey oh... **_

_**Listen what I say oh…**_

_**Come back and hey oh, **_

_**Look at what I say oh…**_"

The song took a light transfer where the guitarist only had to focus between alternating between two notes, and the bassist only had to strum one note at a time. Ryuta only had to hit the cymbal and hi-hat to go along with the mood. Meito spoke at a higher tone while making his voice sound more honest and emotional.

"_**The more I see the less I know,**_

_**The more I like to let it go.**_

_**Hey oh…Whooooa...**_"

Everything took a big turn at that point. After a light snare roll performed by the drummer, the band performed the most powerful part of the song. Kaito's side of the screen was riddled with three note chords, and Kagami's was filled with several double stops, which was quite rare for the bassist. Meito pressed his hand against his chest as everyone moved in tandem to the meaningful lyrics of the song.

"_**Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow.**_

_**Privately divided by a world so undecided and there's nowhere to go; **_

_**In between the cover of another perfect wonder and it's so white as snow. **_

_**Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there's nowhere to go. **_

_**HO!**_"

The band returned to full circle as the guitarist played his memorable riff again. This time, they had the crowd on their side. The powerful lyrics along with the band's presentation had swayed them once again. Some of them started clapping along with Meito during his short break. He smiled, looking at everyone's approval as he moved to the next verse.

"_**When to descend to amend for a friend, **_

_**Of the channels that have broken down. **_

_**Now you bring it up, I'm gonna ring it up, **_

_**Just to hear you sing it out. **_

_**Step from the road to the sea to the sky,**_

_**And I do believe what we rely on.**_

_**When I lay it on, come get to play it on **_

_**All my life to sacrifice. **_

_**Hey oh... **_

_**Listen what I say oh… **_

_**I got your hey oh... **_

_**Listen what I say oh…**_"

As the mood shifted once again to it's more delicate, faint state. Meito started to get tears in his eyes just from the audience's reaction. They were still awestruck, but were now finding themselves inspired by the performance.

"_**The more I see, the less I know, **_

_**The more I like to let it go.**_

_**Hey oh… Whooooa... **_

_**Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow. **_

_**Privately divided by a world so undecided and there's nowhere to go **_

_**In between the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow **_

_**Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there's nowhere to go.**_"

Things really became intense now, as Meito displayed the full force of his vocal range. The first section of the new chorus was very low tone, while the second half was very high. He alternated between the two as his swelling eyes became streams of tears.

"_**I said hey yeah, yeah, oh yeah, **_

_**TELL MY LOVE NOW! **_

_**Hey yeah, yeah oh yeah, **_

_**TELL MY LOVE NOW!**_"

As things took a backseat for the guitarist, things became a bit more intense for Kagami and Ryuta who was still pounding away at their instruments. Kaito dashed to the center of the stage to sing that blissful harmony with Anizawa. As the two tilted heads together, Meito's tears upgraded from stream to waterfall.

"_**Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow, **_

_**Privately divided by a word so undecided and there's nowhere to go.**_

_**Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder where it's so white as snow...**_

_**Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed and there's nowhere to go.**_"

Followed by another stare roll, Meito moved to his vocal point of the song. Kaito gave a banshee shriek with his guitar to signal the change.

"_**I said hey oh yeah oh yeah...**_

_**TELL MY LOVE NOW!**_

_**Hey, yeah, yeah... oh yeah.**_"

After a strange amount of intensity from the drums, the song went into a final, instrumental stage. The guitar used it's whammy bar to the full extent, echoing throughout the room. The Animate manager made a large coo into the microphone to match the high notes. With one last static screech from the guitar, the song came to a close finally giving the band a moment to rest.

The spectators were frantically applauding _Nanashi's_ performance. They four of them panted heavily due to the sheer amount of stress placed from this one song. Each member jumped in the air in triumph. Meito in particular grabbed his Kagami and Kaito in a big embraced. They normally would have pushed him away, but they wanted this all to be a shared victory. The gigantic television behind them displayed their score…over three million. As the curtains closed, the four of them happily walked off the stage.

* * *

After all the clutter was cleared out, the band was all prepared to leave. A small little experiment such as this grew to be a realistic phenomenon. It was only a few more minutes until Christmas had officially started. Just before the band was about to leave and meet with their friends and family, a figure came through the ceiling.

"**PRESIDENT TAKAHASHI!?**" Meito exclaimed.

"**Members of **_**Nanashi…**_" He began. "**I had just finished watching your presentation on a camera I placed in the room. I can honestly say…I was moved by it.**"

"**PRESIDENT!**" Meito locked onto him with an embrace. "**THANK YOU FOR THIS GRAND OPPORTUNITY!**"

"**YOU ARE WELCOME!**" He shouted, his booming voice throwing the tenchou to the wall.

"Um…" The three regular band members said. "What's going on?"

"**Oh yes…**" Takahashi coughed. "**I came to tell you that the critics are raving about you. And for Christmas, you all will receive a great bonus on the eve of your next concert. Payment, production value, quality, it will all increase dramatically.**"

"Don't tell me we'll have to perform on New Years Eve…" Kagami said.

"**Ah, Hiiragi-san. Your tsundere charm is going to really take this band off the ground.**" The statement caused the girl to blush, while the two boys laughed. "**The next venue is currently undecided, but we will inform you when the time is right.**"

"Well, that's nice." Kaito said.

"**Now I wish you all, to have a happy holiday!**"

He pressed a button his shoes, elevating a set of thrusters from the soles. They quickly shot up, sending him back through the hole that he fell through. Meito looked on in amazement seeing the president take off like that. Soon when he would rise up the ranks in Animate, he would get his own set of rocket shoes. The others looked perplexed by the situation, unsure of what kind of company they were working for.

"That was…random." Ryuta said.

* * *

Kaito cricked his neck as he walked into his house. He opened the door and groaned as he lit up the kitchen. A nice cup of tea and a day of surfing the internet would be a great way to end the night. It's what he had been doing most of his weekends. Before he retired into the room though, he looked at the Christmas light set up on a nearby house. It was as large as his yet there were lights everywhere.

"There's something strangely mystifying about this time of year." He smiled, before drinking into his cup and placing on the table.

"Sure is." A voice said from the shadows.

"Oh crap! I forgot to lock the door when I went out tonight!" Kaito panicked.

"I'm glad you did." The voice said, unveiling herself. The teenager blinked from her appearance.

"Patricia-chan…" He murmured.

He was astonished a bit by her outfit; it was just like a feminized Santa suit. It was just red and white felt and fur all over, while displaying her body at the same time. Kaito was amazed at how well it suited her, not to mention that she was able to get into his house. He also noticed her carrying around a white sack. The thought of someone going all around the world to break into your house and gives gifts didn't seem so bad.

"Santa-chan got you a gift, Kaito-kun."

She dropped the bag on the counter. The guitarist reached into the bag, hoping for something great. It was square…it was two somethings! He started to use both hands as he tried to grab both items. He pulled them out and gazed at their glory. Two full box sets of one of his favorite series, featuring a permed-hair freelancer. He looked at Patricia like some type of angel.

"This is perfect…" Kaito said, still stunned.

"Your performance was just worthy of a little extra."

"I…I…" Kaito choked up.

"Don't speak." Patricia said, placing her finger on his mouth.

Without hesitation, he wrapped himself around the girl, kissing her on the lips. She acknowledged it, pressing back. This time though, they kept there eyes open. Just the fact that they cared for one another really made their holiday. For whatever the reason, you should spend these days with someone you care about.

* * *

Kagami was eager to take a nice, deep sleep after a day like today. Sure the band mates didn't mean any harm from that little prank, but she still wasn't in the mood for it. Especially with all the comments Konata was likely to make about it the next time she saw her. Before she entered her room, she was quickly greeted by her younger twin.

"Onee-chan, your concert was incredible!" Tsukasa praised.

"It was nothing." Kagami said, scratching the back of her head.

"I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't be a good Christmas this year, but your bass playing really changed that!"

"You just need a bit more confidence, Tsukasa." She deducted. She took a yawn, but as she did so, noticed something off. "Don't you usually go to bed at this time?"

"I do…but I just needed to tell you something. There's a surprise in your room."

"Oh, really?" She said, unamused.

"You should go check it out."

The tsundere stretched her neck before going into her room with her younger sister close behind. She looked around the room…not a soul. Still, something felt off. She then heard a quick rattling in her closet. Everything was starting to come together now. She felt a little irritated this was going to happen, but was prepared for the worst anyway.

"Okay, okay, Konata. What'd you get me?" She stated while opening her closet door.

"Oi, why do you always think it's Chibikko?" A girl said in the closet.

Kagami took a step back with her eyes bulging out of her sockets. An unpleased Misao stepped forward with a small box with her. She chosen an unconventional method to give her friend a give, but it wasn't completely out there like most otakus. The tan girl at least kept a smile though, with the present extended from her hands. Kagami grabbed it and opened it rather quickly.

"Earrings?" She said.

"Yeah, well…" Misao pondered. "I wanted to get ya something that practical, but still kind of cute."

Tsukasa smiled, knowing she liked the present. The older twin felt a little embarrassed not recognizing her friend's generosity. She could only do one thing though that would make the evening great for her.

"Thank you, Misao." She clasped her friend's hands together and bowed.

The brown-haired girl blushed, but thanked her nonetheless. "I'm glad you like it Hiiragi."

* * *

"Another night…" A woman said.

While several people were having a really great Christmas night, Kuroi Nanako looked at her computer screen in a very dreary fashion. She was just about finished grinding for the day. She did feel really welcomed in her online game at least. All of the items were put up for auction or sold to vendors and she cleared all of the seasonal events. Before she went to bed though, something caught her eye.

"A personal message?"

Kuroi squinted her eyes to look at her text box. It contained a simple message, but a rather potent one nonetheless.

"Hey, hey, Kuroi-sensei? Have you checked you mail?"

Her little character walked up to the in-game mailbox to see the note. She grinned looking at the name, **Konakona**. She slowly read off the message.

"Merry Christmas, Kuroi-sensei! Buy yourself something nice!"

The teacher's emerald eyes nearly popped out of her head. Enclosed with the message was 100,000 gold. She couldn't believe what her student had done, but there was one thing she could do at least.

"Izumi-san…thank you. You've made my holiday season." She typed.

Konata quickly responded. "Aww, it's nothing. Hey, do you want to see this new video I placed on nicovideo?"

"Of course!"

Little did Konata know, that what she was about to show to Nanako was a giant step forward to four certain people.

* * *

Hope that was fun for you all. And gave you all a nice little taste of the holiday spirit and me doing some more casual Lucky Star work. You can be dead sure that I'll update this for a few more holidays.

Please Review! And to all those who don't know, nicovideo = Japanese Youtube to an extent.

**Disclaimer Dos: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Snow ((Hey Oh)) was written by Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith. Produced by Rick Rubin and Labeled by Warner Brothers Records.**


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone, I still care for this fandom a lot, so I just wanted to update. Today is Valentine's Day which is way more crucial romantically in Japan, than in the United States. So if any of you are in the mood for romance or just want something fun, please give this a read.

I was actually not expecting at all to use this song in my story, but many people voted for it. I didn't realize that it was REALLY fitting until after thinking about updating Holiday-Wise.

Anyway, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers. The Lucky Star Manga is slated for May 2009, so be sure to buy it!**

* * *

The members of Nanashi gathered around the top floor of the corporate Animate building for their next assignment. Ever since the Christmas concert, the band's popularity had skyrocketed. They became an overnight wonder where their performances left all members of the audience awe-struck and exuberant. After a month of rest and relaxation, things were finally getting easy for the band.

Everyone in the band was a bit more excited too. Kagami got used to playing the video game and receiving the attention. The performances wouldn't get in the way of her studies, like she feared. Meito's heart was soaring from the rise in sales over the past few months. Kaito and Ryuta were just happy to spend time together as friends, playing the game they love.

President Takahashi turned his chair briskly, looking at the band with pride. Something this amazing had not happened in Animate's history for a long time. The only thing he had left to do was to keep this going for as long as he could. He smiled at the group, knowing that he could reward them now for their achievements.

"**Nanashi!**" The president commanded.

"Yes, President!" They all responded.

"**Your excellence has increased our productivity by 60%!!!**" He said happily, so energized that he punched a matching pair of holes into his desk.

"**SIR!**" Meito stated. "**I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO KEEP OUR POPULARITY ALIVE!**"

"**THAT'S THE KIND OF ATTITUDE I WANT TO HEAR!**" He responded, as the two official Animate employees locked hands.

"I can't believe this is happening." Kaito said, putting himself into the conversation.

"I'm just glad that the public is saying good things about us." Kagami honestly spoke. "We're playing plastic instruments and we've became this popular."

"Real or not, it doesn't mean we should feel ashamed." Kaito interrupted. "Being able to hit all those notes in front of a screaming audience is still a talent."

The tsundere laughed as she scratched her face. "I suppose it is."

"**So President, now that we have established ourselves as a phenomena...what do you want us to do now?!**" Anizawa asked, shaking with excitement.

"**I'm glad you asked.**" Takahashi responded.

A control panel manifested itself on a safer section of the destroyed table. The president started pressing a series of buttons on it, causing a few actions. A projector ascended from the table with a large white screen descending from the roof on different side of the room. The panel did more, as Takahashi soon dimmed the lights and started up a slideshow.

"**Ahem.**" The president. "**As you all know, the public has been wild ever since your Christmas concert where you played only two songs and won the hearts of the Japanese people.**"

"**OF COURSE!**" Meito shouted, nearly relighting the room with the fire emitting from his being.

"**ANIZAWA! CONTROL YOURSELF!**"

"**Err...sorry, sir.**" He calmed himself down.

Takahashi pressed his button, making a loud clicking sound as it moved to the next slide. "**Along with your memorable performances, your power has developed quite a strong fan-base.**"

"Makes sense." Ryuta nodded.

"**Especially around the population of fujoshi.**"

"Fujoshi?" Kagami asked.

"**Sources have indicated that one of the biggest keys to our success was unintentional viral marketing. Footage of your latest concert was spread all across the World Wide Web which attributed to the suddenly burst of popularity.**"

"**WHAT?!**" Meito shouted. "**THAT'S TERRIBLE!**"

"**YOU FOOL!**" Takahashi pushed a button, causing a panel to slide open from the roof. A thick dictionary fell down and promptly landed on Meito's head, stunning him. "**NANASHI'S MUSIC CANNOT BE STOLEN!**"

"Isn't that because we are a cover band?" Kagami thought, embarrassed by the serious mood.

He moved to the next slide. "**We aren't affected at ALL by viral marketing! It's a great thing for us! Around the 2ch image board, many fujoshi and hikikomori are considering to go to the next concert. It's the perfect opportunity to develop them into full-fledged fans of the band!**"

"How so?" Kaito asked.

"**Quite simple, Kaito-san**." Takahashi said. The next slide moved to a famous part of the Christmas show, when the men took off their shirts. "**YOU MUST CHOOSE A SONG THAT SPEAKS TO THE WOMEN OF THE CONCERT!**"

"Are you sure?" Kagami groaned. "Should we polarize our fans like that?"

"**This is a business decision, Kagami-san.**"

"It'll be perfect." Ryuta said. "We can use Valentine's Day to our advantage."

"**EXACTLY!**" Takahashi stated as he moved to the next slide.

"**Oooh...FANTASTIC!**" Meito said with sparkly eyes after waking up from his book-related injury.

"**WE'RE INCREASING YOUR PERFORMANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH A BRAND NEW STAGE!**"

The four band mates looked in awe at the new the arena where they were supposed to play. It was stunning to look at with all of the best technological advances one could ask for. Each member also had a good amount of space to separate themselves. Ryuta's eyes sharpened, as he looked at his area with much surprise.

"Is that?! Is that?!"

"**Yes, Ryuta-san. By being a drummer, you give band foundation to sacrifice your own stage presence. Therefore, we are giving you the best drum kit that is compatible with your situation!**"

"Thank you, President!" Ryuta bowed.

"Don't I get a present?" Kaito glumly thought.

"I'd like a microphone stand." Meito believed.

"**That's all I can tell you now...**" Takahashi said, placing the room back to its original setting.

"So when is the concert?" The drummer asked.

"**Let's see...**" Takahashi said, looking at his watch and calendar. "**In about one hour.**"

Nanashi freaked out on that statement, especially Meito and Kagami.

"How are we supposed to get to the venue!?" The tsundere screamed.

"**Well, the helicopter should have made it here by now.**"

"What helicopter?" Kaito questioned.

The four clients suddenly heard the sound of rapidly spinning blades cutting through the wind like mad. Anizawa pointed to the roof in excitement, hoping that he would get to the concert as soon as possible. Takahashi signaled them thumbs up as they left the room. Approaching the roof, Kagami could only think about one thing.

"Is it really necessary to make a scene like this?"

* * *

Even if going to the venue by helicopter was a bit much, the four band members couldn't help but look through the windows. It was simply astonishing to see several of the buildings in Tokyo. Meito particularly felt proud seeing the Animate shopping center from the high altitude. Ryuta pointed everyone to one side of the helicopter window, seeing the arena where they were about to play.

The stage was found in the spacious Hama Rikyu Garden. It was known for its fantastic landscapes and located along side Tokyo Bay. As the helicopter began to descend, the four band members took notice to the bustling audience. Takahashi's theory was correct as it had a much bigger female population than usual. Everyone started to cheer as the helicopter landed behind the stage.

"To think that we've made it this far..." Meito murmured.

"Let's just try to perform out best, okay?" The only girl of the band stated.

"We just need to figure out a song and practice our band moves." Ryuta said.

"Hmm...this all makes me think." Kaito began. "Do you think that after all we've been through, does that prove that playing video games helps you out as a person?"

"I really doubt it." Kagami immediately said, thinking of the shortest otaku she knew.

"But it's helped us gain so much..." He defended.

"Not to mention all that money." Ryuta pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't think we should give out the wrong message or anything."

"**Kagami-san.**" Meito spoke deeply. "**I know we have to concern about the safety of our fans. But if we doubt what we do, HOW CAN WE PLEASE THEM?! WE ARE ENTERTAINERS! We'd be sending out a worse message for them if we crushed their weekend!**"

"Okay, okay." Kagami backed down. "So serious..."

After that small little scuffle, the band quickly got to work to discuss their routine. While they handled everything from song selection to stage moves, many Animate employees handled all of the technical issues. The first public concert of Nanashi had to be crafted perfectly to every last detail. Especially on a day like this where expectations are raised to high levels.

Thanks to the quick decision making of the band and skillful hands of the workers, everything was complete. People began powering up all the electronic tools from the lighting to the extraordinarily large television. Meito, Kaito, and Kagami grabbed there instruments and walked on stage with Ryuta hopping onto a freshly set up drum kit. The crowd was enamored in seeing all four members of the band. Various people started to shout comments.

"Meito-sama!"

"Kick some ass guys!"

"Meito-sama is so dreamy!"

"Kaito-sama! Look at me!"

"Kagami is my wife!"

The two men at the front of the stage waved to their fans while Kagami became disillusioned. She should have expected that A-boys and fujoshi were the only type of fans that would appeal to this kind of thing. Anizawa prepped himself as he gripped onto his microphone. The crowd fell silent as the real and virtual band were about to play.

No one knew what to expect, but the selected Valentine's song turned out to be quiet the mood-lifter.

In a split-second, Kaito caught everyone's attention with a quick guitar lick, introducing the entire band. This song was rather simple compared to everything else that the band would usually play. While the guitar's electric sounds would echo, the sounds of Kagami plucking the bass would occasionally appear. Ryuta played a light pattern of bass pedal, followed by snare and hi-hat hits.

With that small taste of the instruments, the whole Park echoed with the sounds of Meito's pleasing voice.

"_**Dark in the city, night is a wire. **_

_**Steam in the subway earth is a fire.**_

_**Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do**_"

That odd mix of lyrics had every single woman focused on the singer. Things would only get better from there as the song would have a deeper focus. Meito took a swift turn, facing the audience with a friendly smile.

"_**Woman you want me give me a sign, **_

_**And catch my breathing even closer behind.**_"

Ryuta held up his stick to join along with the verse.

"_**Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do**_"

The tempo changed to a slightly deeper beat as Kaito played a slow set of chords. Ryuta hit a light snare roll and Kagami's bass notes were hit in sets of three. Anizawa started to meld in with the song, trying to give his voice a bit more of a harmony.

"_**In touch with the ground...**__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt, I'm after you. **__**  
**_

_**Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd. **__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

The speed was just right as every instrument assisted the other. Long sustained notes and the thumping of the bass pedal gave everyone a chance to get some attention.

"_**Straddle the line...in discord and rhyme, **__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt, I'm after you.**__**  
**_

_**Mouth is alive, with juices like wine. **__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

The song took a hazy pause to let the audience soak up the lyrics. Every girl now was gazing at Meito, starting to notice his ferocious look. The light taps by the drums intensified the moment. With the next verse coming into play, the band returned to its regular sound.

"_**Stalked in the forest, too close to hide.**__**  
**_

_**I'll be upon you by the moonlight side. **__**  
**_

_**Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do.**_"

Anizawa grinned as he pointed at the audience. They were hypnotized by his lyrical execution.

"_**High blood drummin' on your skin it's so tight. **__**  
**_

_**You feel my heat I'm just a moment behind.**_"

Kaito tilted his head, to join Meito with that memorable hook.

"_**Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do.**_"

The band shifted sounds again as it moved to the chorus.

"**_In touch with the ground, _**_**  
**_

**_I'm on a hunt, I'm after you. _**_**  
**_

**_Scent and a sound. I'm lost and I'm found. _**_**  
**_

**_And I'm hungry like the wolf!_**"

Kagami demonstrated her skills by kicking at the audience. Male attendants started to cheer as they listened on.

"_**Strut on the line, its discord and rhyme, **__**  
**_

_**I howl and I whine I'm after you.**__**  
**_

_**Mouth is alive, all runnin' inside.**__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

That hazy atmosphere occurred once again, but with a much different twist. The guitar disappeared under the sounds of a time-consuming hi-hat roll. Bass became a stronger part of the equation as Ryuta started to press on the pedal twice as fast. The tsundere's low tones became more apparent with each pluck she did on the instrument.

What was really peculiar though was Meito. He clapped along to the noise, but the girls started to feel much different. They were blushing as they tried to fight the temperature by panting profusely. The band seemed to emit a sound of a girl heavily breathing. It started to entrance them as Anizawa became much more handsome.

"_**Burnin' the ground, I break from the crowd, **__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt, I'm after you.**__**  
**_

_**I smell like I sound. I'm lost and I'm found.**__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

Meito started his next set of lyrics, by doing a favorite move of his. He looked towards the ground as he leaned down to hold himself up with one arm. This just drove the female members even wilder.

"_**Strut on the line, its discord and rhyme. **__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt down after you.**__**  
**_

_**Mouth is alive, with juices like wine, **__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

The band's sound changed one last time as Nanashi performed a new technique. Kaito, Kagami and Meito formed in a triangle with all of their backs pressed together. The sound was mostly due to the guitar, which switched from chords to a set of long, wailing sustained notes. The bass sped up from alternately played notes. To cap it off, Kaito and Kagami would sing along with all of the harmonies.

"_**Burning the ground, I break from the crowd, **__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt, I'm after you.**__**  
**_

_**Scent and a sound, I'm lost and I'm found.**__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

"_**Strut on the line, it's discord and rhyme **__**  
**_

_**I'm on the hunt down after you **__**  
**_

_**Mouth is alive, all running inside, **__**  
**_

_**And I'm hungry like the wolf!**_"

The students of Ryōō had one last moment of glory at the outro. While Kaito returned to chords, Kagami started playing at his speed. Ryuta was given a bit of a complex ending as he had to move all around his drum kit. With the pressing sounds of the bass and the pedal, they were capping off towards the ending. The three front men of Nanashi jumped into the air as the guitarist played their last sustained notes.

With the song ending...the girls couldn't hold back their feelings any long.

Several of the members of the front row started to push against the metal bars keeping them from their targets. That very last moment of playing gave the crowd all of emotions they could take. Not to mention that caused them to focus on someone else other than the singer. They started to storm the gates, as members of Animate made a barricade.

"RUN!" One of the stagehands said.

Meito, Kagami, Kaito and Ryuta scrambled before crowd's force could overpower the employees. They frantically ran off the stage and into to the garden. Hearing the sounds of the fans, they started to panic as they were coming towards the bay. Lucky for them, Anizawa lifted his head to see the Animate helicopter dropping down near them.

After it made a complete landing, Nanashi entered through the cabin doors. The drummer regretfully looked towards the stage.

"But...my Ion..."

"**LEAVE IT!**" Anizawa said, pulling the boy by his color.

The aircraft lifted up as it head back towards the Animate building for safety. The look of excitement had now changed to fright and confusion. Despite the unaffected Meito; Kaito, Ryuta and Kagami all were stunned at what had transpired. The freedom of music combined with the singer's raw nature had formed into a powerful, mystical force.

Who knew was to happen next concert...

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that. Really tried hard to get this in on time and I'm glad that I did it. For a few references, a Hikikomori is another term for a shut-in or someone who prefers extreme forms of isolation. And Ion refers to the Ion Drum Kit, which is a REAL, electronic drum kit that hooks up with Rock Band 2. It costs 300 dollars.

Please Review! Enough reviews and I'll upload a chapter before the next big Japanese holiday, known as White Day.

**Disclaimer Sequel: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Hungry Like The Wolf was written by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, and Andy Taylor. Produced by Colin Thurston and Labeled by EMI Records.**


	7. Chapter 7

I said I'd update on a holiday, and that's what today is…White Day!

To those of you who don't know what White Day is, think of it this way. You know how in Valentine's Day in anime how girls try really hard to make chocolates and give them to their friends, family, and love interests? White Day is basically the same, except it's the guys who give out the chocolate. And it's exactly one month from Valentine's.

I know I'm late but…I really did try to get this on the appropriate day. I finished around 10:30 PM on March 14, 2009, but was riddled with errors. I couldn't edit or post up a new chapter. I feel really lame.

And, I think you all will really enjoy the scenes I've created here.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is property of Yoshimizu Kagami and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers. The Lucky Star OVA has been licensed, so be sure to buy it when it comes out!**

**

* * *

  
**

"What?!" Kagami shouted as she was talking on her cell phone.

She started to impatiently tap her fingers against the wall of Animate's top floor. Everyone in the band was talking about their future concerts, with a few happening very soon. By being in the band, she had the benefit of several perks and was currently trying to give them off to her friends. However, some people had different plans in mind.

"Yeah, I'm not going to the concert." Konata plainly said.

"Why not?" She asked.

"It's simple. My online game is going to have a special event because today is White Day. Every guild has the opportunity to go on a scavenger hunt to find a very difficult boss and defeat him. The rumors are that he'll drop some extremely rare loot if you can successfully beat him."

"And that's more important than going to the concert?"

"You can only do this quest to spawn the bad guy once."

"But you've gone to every concert!" Kagami said, starting to pout.

"There will be more concerts and I'll go to them. Today is an exception."

"It's just an online game! Is it that big of a deal?"

Konata felt a little disappointed from that statement. "Why are you so concerned in having me go? I usually go to most concerts anyway, so why would you confirm this?"

The tsundere started to blush, realizing her mistake. She started to think really hard before the wave of otaku-based insinuations would come her way. "Well...I just figured that you would want to come. If any of my friends were to come, it would be best to give them the best experience possible."

"Ah...I see." Konata grinned. "Since the band is much more popular, you want to use your newly acquired power. You have the chance of giving me the best experience I can possibly have. That's so sweet, Kagamin..."

Kagami started to feel nervous from that statement. "That's what I wanted to do."

"Thank you."

"So you are going to come?"

"I must respectfully decline."

One could see Kagami's hopes shattering from that statement. "What?!"

"I have monsters to slay!"

With that proclamation, the short otaku ended the conversation. The twin-tailed girl stared at the cell phone in despair from her friend hanging up. She looked down at the floor disappointed from Konata's response. What kind of person would do that?

The tsundere walked into the meeting room with much newly-found dread. She slowly sat at the table where Meito, Ryuta, the president and Kaito were waiting. They could instantly pick up on her irritating as her hair looked messy and covered over her face. The four men in the room started to look at each other, unsure of what to do.

"**Kagami-sama.**" Anizawa stated. "**Are you feeling alright?**"

"I'm okay..." She mumbled.

Ryuta wanted to speak, but Kaito shook his head in disapproval. He stayed reserved.

"**Anyway...**" Takahashi said. "**Our plans are to do a performance today for the men of Japan. However, due to Anizawa's vocal persuasion...we may have to change things up a little.**"

"**PRESIDENT!**" Meito pleaded. "**YOU CANNOT KEEP THE TIGER CAGED! HE WILL GAIN STRENGTH AND SLASH THROUGH THE BARS TO KEEP FROM BEING THE ANIMAL HE TRULY IS!**"

His headstrong attitude was responded with a quick smack in the nose by the president's fist.

"**FOOL! I DON'T WANT NANASHI TO FALL TO CRAZED FANS.**"

"**Sorry...**" He said, clutching his nose.

"So what does that mean?" Kaito asked.

"**We are left with many different options. We could go under a long list of songs to see which will have the least effect. I am not experienced with the game that much to know what songs will affect the crowd.**"

"We are." Ryuta said, speaking for himself and the guitarist. "Everyone song in the game focuses on a direct theme like survival, sex, death, or anger. It's hard to find a song that doesn't have a quality like that."

"And any of the songs that do, have an Achilles heel." Kaito informed. "They are tremendously boring."

"**Good reason...good reason.**" Meito murmured.

"**DAMN!**" Takahashi said, punching into the wall. "**We'll have to move to Plan B then.**"

"Which is?"

"**Someone else will have sing.**"

A hush came across the band hearing that response. They had a very formulaic set up with Ryuta drumming, Kaito playing guitar, Meito singing and Kagami playing bass. Everyone had a very frustrated look on their face trying to figure out what would happen. They had several things to factor in with what song to choose and how that would hinder the rest.

Kaito decided to speak up. "I might be able to do it. It's possible for me to sing and play, but don't expect me to hit every single note. Especially since I have to focus on two different parts of the screen."

"**YOU CAN'T DO THAT YASUHIRO!**" Takahashi screamed. "**YOU APPEAL TO THE GAMERS! IF YOU FAULTER THEN EVERYONE ELSE DOES!**"

"Oi, where does that leave me...?" Ryuta grumbled.

"Then what should we do?" He responded, in a lower tone.

"...I'll sing." Everyone else gasped from the response. They even started to play out every scenario into their heads.

Kagami...singing...

All of them started to imagine the twin-tailed girl singing on stage. The crowd would be enamored from her beauty and talent. It wasn't an impossible task as Tenchou learned enough about the game to play bass well. After the vision disappeared, the two members of Animate got to their knees and bowed. Kagami was taken aback by the action.

"**KAGAMI-SAMA!!!**" Meito shouted. "**WILL YOU PERFORM THE DUTY THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO!?**"

"Yeah..." She said puzzled. "That's why I agreed to do it."

"**THANK YOU!!!**" They shouted with the two simultaneous begging at her feet.

"Are you sure about this?" Kaito questioned.

"I am." She started to think. "I should be doing more for this band."

Tears started to form in Meito's eyes. "**Bless you, Kagami-sama.**"

"Just one condition." She said, raising her hand up.

"**What's that?**"

"I'm picking the song." She grinned.

The other band members stood with pride, knowing that they would be able to have a successful concert after all. Ryuta felt a bit hesitant though...why would Kagami do this? She felt so adamant against all this from the beginning. But now she's performing the hardest roll that anyone can do on stage. He chose to keep quiet however. Since the concert itself was going to be in a few hours.

* * *

It was the dead of night as hundreds more people gathered to watch _Nanashi_ play. They all felt a bit anxious to what was about to happen. Just one month ago, girls were put in a complete trance due to the power of Anizawa Meito. Many were unsure what was to happen today. A large curtain was placed over the stage. Everyone was prepared to play, but they just had to make some last minute adjustments.

"**ARE WE READY TO PLAY?!**" The manager screamed.

"Yes, yes." The bespectacled teenager nodded. "Don't get too excited, you'll melt your bass."

Meito quickly perked up from that remark, since it was entirely possible.

"She hasn't called..." The tsundere whispered.

"You say something?" Kaito asked.

"Nah, it's nothing." She dismissed. "Hey Kaito...is this outfit too much?"

He took a quick glance at her. She was wearing a yellow shirt that was primarily covered by a black shirt. Around her legs was a matching pair of black jeans. Her most noticeable feature was the pink, puffy scarf she had wrapped around her neck along with her traditional twin-tails.

"You look fine."

"Okay then."

With that signal, everyone stood in their pre-determined areas. Kagami felt a bit nervous, being in center stage as opposed to the side. Anizawa was the opposite, feel just as pumped up as ever. Perhaps he had some untapped instrumental power that the world had not scene. Everything was ready as the song was selected and the curtain was lifted.

"H-hello Japan!" Kagami said into the microphone.

The crowd was shocked. This minor changed solicited many responses.

"Kagami-san is singing?!"

"No way!"

"Meito-sama is playing bass!"

"Kagami is so cute!"

"Sing for me Kagami!"

"Marry me, Kaito-sama!"

"I should start wearing earplugs for this stuff..." Kagami huffed.

She decided to speak honestly to the audience. "Um...I decided to sing for tonight."

"Thank you Kagami-sama!"

"Nanashi is blessing us singles for White Day!"

Kagami felt a little disturbed from the statements. Kaito hoped they could just move on to the event. The song quickly loaded up and the video game was displayed to the large crowd. There was a brief silence against the crowd as they heard the sounds of drumsticks hitting together.

The song started quickly with Ryuta hitting a moderately-sized snare roll to introduce the other instruments. Kaito played a simple melody while Meito had to pluck several different colored notes. The game provided a great service by giving of the sounds of a loud trombone. It gave off the aura of a loud brass band. The atmosphere was amplified by Ryuta's snare being converted into a steel drum and multiple crescendos being added into the mix.

Kaito played a set of chords to move onto the next part of the song. It was a bit slower, but still maintained its catchy rhythm. Ryuta had to play a very simple bass beat while Anizawa played several small sweeps from green to yellow. It made the song flow very nicely together with each additional guitar strum.

The tsundere braced the microphone as her moment was about to come up. She took a deep breath and prayed that nothing embarrassing would happen.

"_You think that we connect..._

_That the chemistry's correct..._

_Your words walk right through my ears,_

_Presuming I like what I hear..._"

A great amount of cheers erupted from the crowd from the girl's presence. The band started to smile as Meito and Kaito put their backs together, while playing their guitars. The song moved up to a climax with the guitarist playing chords, the bassist play regular notes, and drums finally utilizing the tom-toms.

"_And now I'm stuck in the,_

_The web you're spinning,_

_You've got me for you prey..._"

Kagami closed her eyes as the sound shifted again. Drums were louder than ever, while the game introduced a harmony with the vocals. Everything had been sailing smooth so far. The lyrics moved by much faster this time.

"_Sorry, I'm not home right now, I'm walking into spiderwebs._

_So leave a message, and I'll call you back._

_A likely story, but..._

_Leave a message and I'll call you back._"

The singer opened her eyes as the band returned to its original, slow sound. She realized that the fans were still cheering on even though this was her first time. They didn't care how she sounded or what she did, they were just happy to be entertained. Kagami started to smile from the reaction, even far enough to grin when the next verse came up. She put her lips to the microphone.

"_You're intruding on what's mine..._

_And you're taking up my time..._

_Don't have the courage inside me,_

_To tell you pleeeeease let me be_"

At Ryuta's quick snare roll, Kagami decided to put a little more into her performance. She started to move around and put more emphasis into the lyrics.

"_Communication,_

_A telephonic invasion..._

_I'm planning my escape..._"

Moving up to that memorable chorus, the older Hiiragi twin bent her head down, to let the audience see her long hair flow.

"_Sorry, I'm not home right now, I'm walking into spiderwebs._

_So leave a message, and I'll call you back._

_A likely story, but..._

_Leave a message and I'll call you back."_

Everyone accelerated with the new set of lyrics. Kagami put a little more emotion into singing as she closed her eyes. Ryuta had to press some more bass than usual, and Meito and Kaito started to mouth the words.

"_And it-----------'s all your fault._

_I screeeeeeen my phone calls._

_No maaaaaaatter who calls,_

_I gotta scree-ee-ee-een my phone calls_."

Kagami took a much needed rest as the instruments took command. Kaito was playing a very delicate and light solo that would make a small electrical hiss at the audience. Its subtle tone still made the steel drum an important part to the melody. Meito stayed concentrated on the bass, as it stayed constant throughout the whole song. He started to think when he gazed at the fans.

"I can't believe it. Hiiragi's an incredible singer."

Once the solo ended, the guitar stuck with sustained notes when the vocals entered. The game greatly put emphasis on the singer, as it would provide back-up singing to the next set of lyrics. It was almost played at a hypnotic tone.

"_Now it's gone to deep..._

_You wake me in my sleep..."_

_"My dreams become nightmares..._"

Kaito put his head next's to Kagami's, to sing the last line together.

"_'Cause you're ringing in my ears..._"

The band all activated their overdrive to illuminate the audience in gold light. The speed picked up again in speed as they moved to the chorus.

"_Sorry, I'm not home right now, I'm walking into spiderwebs._

_So leave a message, and I'll call you back."_

_Nanashi_ started to perform tricks as the chorus played again. Anizawa jumping around in circles while Kaito gave a classic power slide in the audience's direction.  
_  
"A likely story, but..._

_Leave a message and I'll call you back."_

Kagami stared deeper at the crowd while she sang, really getting into the song.

"_And it's all your fault._

_I scree-ee-ee-een my phone calls,_

_No matter-matter-matter-matter who calls._

_I gotta scree-ee-ee-een my phone calls_."

Everyone got more into the song as the instrument picked up again. Kaito was riddled with chords while Anizawa's side was getting filled with fast double strums. Ryuta made a light snare roll and incorporated more bass into the song. Kagami puckered her lips against the microphone while sticking a different part of her body into the air.

"_Ooooooh, a spiderwebs,_

_Leave a message and I'll call you back._

_I'm walking into spiderwebs._

_So, leave a message and I'll call you back._"

The tsundere stated the next set of lines more factually.

"_It's all your fault._

_I screen my phone calls._"

Kagami performed a classic technique for the next set of lyrics. She placed her pointer finger forward and started to wag it at the audience, while moving it to the left. People were starting to cheer for the band at a new peak.

"_No matter-matter-matter-matter who calls,_

_I gotta scree-ee-ee-een my phone calls._

_It's all your fault._

_It's all your fault._

_No matter who calls._"

The band unexpectedly slowed their rhythm when Kagami spoke her last, fast-paced line.

"_No matter who calls..._"

Sound returned to its normal speed from the beginning as the instruments started to move slower. The bass kept its beat, but didn't overpower the sound. Ryuta started to play only a very few number of notes, as did Kaito. No one playing cared though, as they still kept up their energy.

"_I'm walking into spiderwebs..._

_So, leave a message and I'll call you back, ha ha._

_I'm walking into spiderwebs...  
_

_Leave a message and I'll call you back._ "

Kagami took center stage again, putting in as much emotion as she did during the chorus. She kept the spirit of the band like Meito always did, smiling during the performance, despite the lyrics.

"_Oooh...It's all your fault._

_No matter who calls._

_I gotta screen my phone calls._"

The three of them couldn't keep from swaying to the rhythm. Even though no one was playing the trombone, it really improved the feeling of the music.

"_It's all your fault,_

_No matter-matter-matter-matter who calls._

_I screen my phone calls._

_I'm walking into spiderwebs..._

_Leave a message and I'll call you back._"

Almost everyone came to an immediate stop from that last lyric. Kaito had played his last, strong sustained notes while the dulcet tones from Meito's bass kept the scenery. Ryuta only needed to focus on his hi-hat, so that the focus could be placed onto Kagami.

"_I'm walking into spiderwebs..._

_Leave a message and I'll call you back_

_I'm walking into spiderwebs..._"

The band drifted into the end of the song with everyone having their final moments. Kaito played a few final chords while Ryuta did a last outro that touched every part of his drum kid. As the electric sounds toned down and the beat settle...only one last thing followed when the curtain come to a close.

Applause.

* * *

"And...done!" An otaku cheered.

On a different side of town, Konata felt very relaxed. After a long day of slaying and triumph, she had a pretty nice day of playing her interactive drug. She started to stretch her arm and put all of the garbage from her desk into her trash bin. Looking down at her keyboard, she put her hand over the mouse ready to close the program. Until...

Nanakon: Hey! Hey!

The sound perked Konata's ears. She started to type.

Konakona: What's up sensei?

Nanakon: Did you go to the message boards yet?

Konakona: Oh, I'll check tomorrow.

Nanakon: *w* You need to check. Now.

Konata tilted her head, deciding to go along with Kuroi-sensei petty request. She had gone to the forum several times; as it was focused on her guild and all of the events they had planned. But they did have a section specifically for real life events. She grinned, seeing that there were several new posts in the section.

One thread in the section was particularly about the trend sweeping Japan, Nanashi. Many guild members would read in amazement about Konata's posts to her history with the band. She didn't go today, but didn't think much of it. She had tons of fun hanging out with everyone after slaying that big, white demon with the collar. Once she opened the thread however...

Her eyes bulged looking at the newly posted pictures from tonight's performance. It was such a different experience compared to the normal events...she couldn't believe it.

Konata started to deeply think about what had happened over the holiday. A rare occurrence for her.

* * *

A few days later, at high school, students started rushing to the top floor. It wasn't too long until the bell was about to ring so people started to head into class. A few select people were actually napping from the long weekend they had. With a few minutes left, things were getting prepared for the rest of the day. But someone wanted to start it on a good note.

"Hey, Kagamin!" Konata asked.

"Hello..." Kagami muttered, making a glance at her.

"How's it going."

"Fine." She said in a ho-hum manner.

"Uh...I wanted to talk to you about something." The otaku said.

"What's that?" The tsundere said with a snarky tone.

"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

"Really?"

"I shouldn't have skipped out on your band. It was White Day and I knew something cool was going to happen...but I was silly and wanted to play games."

"Yes, yes you were." Kagami said, as if she were hitting Konata with a squeaky hammer.

"I've learned that it's important to spend time with real life friends since they are the ones you hang out with the closest."

"Closest?" She responded, surprised.

"I always hang around with you compared to my online friends. It's, to be honest, rude to ignore what you feel just for them."

"I-I guess..."

"And I like spending time with Kagamin." Konata sweetly said, nuzzling her head against her shoulder.

"Hey! I think that's a bit much!" Kagami worried.

Konata started to giggle from her remark, knowing her embarrassed _deredere_ form was showing.

"So do you accept my apology?"

Kagami couldn't deny that smiling cat face Konata made. She almost responded by putting her head next to her's.

"Yeah."

Before the bell rang...Konata had to mention one last thing.

"But it wasn't all bad missing the concert. I actually got the rare drop from the beast from that night. It increases my stamina by twofold!"

"You," Kagami started to sweat drop. "You didn't need to tell me that."

* * *

There's some yuri for you all who enjoy it. I hope it kept you guys satisfied.

To anyone wondering about my Haruhi fic, don't worry. The newest chapter is finished, but it currently being proofread.

**Disclaimer Again: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Spiderwebs was written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal. Produced by ****Matthew Wilder and No Doubt; ****Labeled by Interscope Records.**


	8. Chapter 8

Now I know what most of you are thinking. It's probably along the lines of "Nuke?! Why didn't you update on April Fool's Day?!"

Simple. Because that would be too obvious. Anyway, this chapter should make up for it. It's fun and it contains what I believe to be on of the best songs in Rock Band 2. It was the best surprise song by a popular band that I had never heard of until the game. (Which isn't indie or a HMX band) Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers. The Lucky Star Manga is slated for May 2009, so be sure to buy it! (And watch K-On! while you are at it...)**

* * *

The Izumi family just finished off their meal for the night. The three of them had an assortment of Yakiniku that they a few hours to work on. They didn't usually eat something like that, but today was a special occasion. Yutaka started to put dishes in the sink while Konata and Sojiro started to put on clothes.

"Will you be fine by yourself, Yu-chan?" Konata asked.

"I'll be fine." She nodded. "I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"After the last concert, that's exactly why you are staying home."

"Yeah..." The little girl said a bit disappointed.

"That's why I'm joining with Konata today." Sojiro entered into the room.

Konata started to sweat. "Dad. You really don't need to come along with me..."

"I'm just doing it because I care about you." Sojiro suggested. "Your friends' band is becoming stadium-sized now, right?"

"Yeah." She couldn't argue.

"And crazy things have happened at those concerts, right?"

"Well...only a few times." The otaku pressed her fingers together.

"That's why I'm coming, to protect you."

"You are going to do this to only protect me right? To make sure I don't get trampled or stuck in a mosh? Not to take any pictures?"

Her father blinked from the statement. "Pictures?! I wasn't thinking of that! Give me one second..."

Konata rolled her eyes from her statement as her perverted dad went to get the super camera. Even if flash photography was probably not going to be allowed, it was best to humor him. She slowly started to put on her shoes and double check to see that she had everything for the event. This wasn't Comiket, but the amount of preparation required was similar. Yutaka walked up to her thinking about something.

"Onee-chan, I thought you were irritated with the band last to you went." The girl brought up.

"Ah...I was."

"So why are you still going?"

"Yutaka, by any chance do you know what a troll is?"

"Isn't that the creature with the weird hair and tusks?" She recalled.

"That's a fantasy troll. I'm talking about a real one."

"Trolls don't exist, onee-chan."

"Oh...you are very wrong about that." Konata started to explain.

* * *

Back on April Fool's Day...

Konata was in the pit with all of the real action during a concert by Nanashi. She was so excited that the band was going to hold a free concert for the first thousand people who entered into the arena. The curtain was closed as various electronic sounds could be heard. Many people in the audience were at a complete silence just waiting to be energized from the power of the band's music.

Once the lights had dimmed down, everyone was quite. The only lights were focused on the red cloth separating the band from their adoring fans. The curtain slowly rose to the sound of thunderous applause. But once the lights were focused on the band members, the claps turned into a series of unsettled murmurs.

Meito, Kaito, Kagami and Ryuta were all there...but a bit odd. They all were looking directly at the audience without moving or blinking. Lines were located coming from their lips. A song slowly started to play on the giant screen displayed behind them. It looked completely normal like a concert. But everyone's thoughts began to change when they heard the singer's voice.

"_This was a triumph._"

People's jaws dropped. Meito wasn't himself. His movements and sounds were so unlike him. They were feminine, stiff...almost like they were mechanical.

"_I'm making a note here: HUGE_ _SUCCESS_

_It's hard to overstate my satisfaction._"

Everyone else in the band started to mimic Anizawa's movements by moving in the same fashion. They were slow, dull and without life. It was like going to one of those palaces for children with games and poor entertaining and cheap pizza.

"_Apeature Science_

_We do what we must, because, we can._

_For the good of all of us..._

_Except the ones who are dead._"

And with that cue, Ryuta exploded. People were already getting irritated by what happened, but now a series of jeers and profanities were being spewed from the audience. The singer kept on doing his job no matter what the crowd said.

"_But there's no use crying over every mistake._

_You just keep on trying till you run out of cake!"_

The bassist exploded next, causing many of the men in the audience to shriek in horror. Now the fans were truly getting annoyed as things were hurled upon stage.

"_And the science gets done and_ _you make a neat gun,_

_For the people who are Still Alive._"

Fans of Nanashi were getting so angry by the concert that even larger items were being tossed at the stage. One person with an 800 yen bottle of water threw it at the stage, decapitating Kaito. All that was left was for the Tenchou to continue singing. But it was no use as the fans started to leave the concert in disgust, shame, and confusion. Konata was just perplexed but felt embarrassed. It was April 1st.

* * *

Konata started to feel a bit gloomy thinking about the particular event. Hours of waiting in line to the concert...wasted. It was like so many camp-outs for the next big visual novel game.

"Sounds like it was bad." Yutaka stated.

"It wasn't all bad though." She said, with her head hung low. "They said on their website that if you kept your ticket stub that you could come to the next concert for free. Since I was smart enough to hold on to it, I can go. And they were going to sell half price tickets as a sign of good will."

"I suppose that's good then."

"So I'm hoping that the band can redeem themselves with this new event they have planned."

Yutaka tried to cheer her up. "I'm sure they will and I'm sure you will have a good time."

"Thanks, Yu-chan." Konata bowed.

"Hey, Konata! I found my magnification attachments! I'm definitely going to take some good pictures tonight!" Sojiro shouted with glee.

"At least I hope my day will be good. But I'm not the only one going with their parents." Konata thought. She soon took a sigh. "...of course I am."

* * *

That night, the faithful fans of Nanashi had gathered to give the band another shot. Sometimes a band would have a bad night from a disgruntled fan or bad equipment, but when the band intentionally hurts the crowd, it's whole other felony. All four members of the band had a glimpse at the crowd from behind the curtain. They were uncomfortably quiet, only being heard when two people were having a conversation.

"They seem a bit uncomfortable." Kaito said.

"Really now?" Ryuta said, sarcastically.

"I'm still not sure why Animate wanted us to trick our fans." Kagami asked.

"**I do not know either, Kagami-sama.**" Meito said. "**The anime industry has a love of taunting with the fans.**"

"It's a case of buyer beware." The drummer said. "When it comes to April Fool's Day, you can't expect everything to be clean."

"Most of our fans are here from the looks of things."

"**IS LEGENDARY GIRL A HERE?!**"

"Anizawa!" Kagami said, grabbing his shoulders. "Keep it down."

"Sorry..." He said.

"From the looks of things, yeah, she is here." Kaito said.

Nanashi's singer came towards Kaito and started to look at the crowd from his point of view. Looking at the pit, he could easily see Konata, just by the tip of her ahoge. His pupils dilated though upon further detail. A man with blue hair, completely looking at a different side of the crowd was sitting next to her. Even with a camera in a tow, Meito had to take a step back from what he witnessed.

"**Is that...**" Anizawa gulped. "**Legendary Girl A's FATHER?!**"

Kagami made a grimace. "Ugh, she brought him along?"

"Well, he has somewhat of an interest in music." Kaito said.

"**I can't believe it...the man who shaped the perfect otaku is within our stands tonight. Have you ever wondered about what perfection is? A true inventor...no...visionary has graced us with his prescience. The man who has raised our most valuable customer. I always wanted to meet him. And now I have the opportunity! After the show, I will find him, and tell him...Thank you. For everything you have done.**"

The other three looked perplexed from Meito's speech. They weren't sure what Anizawa liked more between pleasing the fans and pleasing his company. He immediately pointed at the band with new found intensity.

"**WHAT SONG ARE WE PLAYING TONIGHT?!**"

"I can't remember the name..." Ryuta thought. "I just know it's that old song with really fun drums and Kaito loves it to death."

"That one?!" Kaito did a double take.

"**IT'S PERFECT! STAGEHANDS, HIT THE LIGHTS!**" Anizawa shouted.

With that cue, members of Animate started to flip the switches and turn on the electronics. The four members of Nanashi dashed to the stage to grab onto their instruments. They owed their fans something special. From the sheer power and sound from the song though, they felt very confident about their upcoming performance. The curtain slowly started to rise to show the four musicians.

Everyone in the crowd had a different reaction to the band's unveiling: Applause, jeers, angry, or puzzlement. Anizawa scanned the crowd for his targets. He smiled seeing the blue-haired family, as they were clapping at his presence. Meito pointed his hand straight up into the air causing the audience to stay quiet.

"**THIS SONG IS DEDICATED TO OUR FANS! ESPECIALLY ONE MAN IN PARTICULAR IN THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT!**"

Murmurs arose from the crowd. They started to think about who was that one person Meito was talking about. Some thought it was another hoax. A typical statement that a guilty man would say to sway back the fans. But people decided to stay quiet as the song was about to begin. The lights were now dimmed and only focused upon the band. The giant screen located behind them helped, but it was not the main attraction.

Two large limelights came down from the skies to shine upon Kaito and Kagami. The two of them played a rather simple set of notes, five in total. Yet they were so bold and defiant, everyone focused on them. A second set followed, but this time accompanied by drums. Meito closed his eyes, knowing that the lyrics were coming up. He spoke them as such.

"_**Sitting on the park bench.**_"

A small set of chords followed along in the next verse.

"_**Eye-ing little girls with bad intent, yeah...oh.**_"

Konata gave her dad a nudge causing his head to turn around.

"Yes?"

"I think this song is about you, dad."

Sojiro flicked his wrist at her. "No, no...it couldn't be."

"_**Snot running down his nose!**_

_**Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.**_

_**Hey, Aqualung!**_"

The rhythm stayed the same with each line. Ryuta kept up a constant bass beat like the game instructed him to.

"_**Drying in the cold sun.**_

_**Watching as the frilly panties ruuuuuun.**_"

"Now, I'm very sure this song is about you." Konata quipped, causing her dad to panic.

"_**Hey, Aqualung!**_

_**Feeling like a dead duck!**_"

Anizawa's voice seemed to generate more power with each passing phrase.

"_**Spitting out pieces of his broken luck!**_

_**Oooh, Aqualung!**_"

The pace slowed down from that last statement. Kaito was the only one left playing as the atmosphere started to fill with hazy aura. His guitar sounded less electric and mellower from the introduction of chords. It had changed to an acoustic guitar thanks to the magic from the video game. Meito's tone also softened with his next set of lyrics.

"_**Sun streaking cold...**_

_**An old man wandering lonely.**_

_**Taking time the only way he knows.**_"

The song's mood had turned more somber with every passing word. It was amplified as Kagami entered with a series of delicate plucks.

"_**Leg hurtin' bad,**_

_**As he bends to pick a dog-end...**_

_**He goes down to the bog and warms his feet.**_"

Ryuta returned with his drums, going at a much slower pace. One would think the loud sounds of the bass pedal and snare would interrupt the song, but it flowed along particularly well.

"_**Feeling alone...**_

_**The army's up the road...**_

_**Salvation à la mode and a cup of tea.**_

**_Aqualung my friend..._**

_**Don't you start away uneasy.**_"

Meito bent his knees down to the ground in front of the crowd. He extended his hand and slowly brought it closer to his face.

"_**You poor old sod, you see, it's only me...yeah.**_"

After a few more seconds of gentle persuasion, the song took another unexpected turns. The drums and bass stopped, while the guitar came with a faster set of notes. That gave Anizawa the notion to increase the volume of his voice once again.

"_**Do you still remember...December's foggy freeze?**_"

In the middle of in between each phrase, and at the end, a sudden burst of sound would come from the players. Kagami would hit a quick triplet of notes while Ryuta had his hand full with small, mini-snare rolls.

"_**When the ice the clings onto your beard was screaming agony?**_"

The guitarist side of the screen filled up wonderful flourish of chords. The drummer's slow tone now moved to a fast pattern between primarily his toms, snare, and bass pedal. Everyone was filling an increase in speed as the audience started to sway with the music.

"_**Hey! And you snatch your rattling last breaths,**_

_**With deep-sea-diver sounds...**_"

Meito's next lyric really brought the audience to ecstasy. He started to spin around on the stage, causing a series of multi-colored lights to come down on the fans. It drove them into a frenzy how the song's rhythm worked so well with the band's presentation.

"_**And the flowers bloom like madness in the spriiiiing.**_"

Nanashi returned to its start-stop phase soon enough with the string of words continuing.

"_**Sun streaking cold,**_

_**An old man wandering lonely.**_

_**Taking time the only way he knows.**_

_**Leg hurting bad,**_

_**As he bends to pick a dog-end...**_

_**He goes down to the bog and warms his feet.**_"

After a quick roll across Ryuta's drum kit, Anizawa took the time to flaunt his heavenly voice.

"_**Oooh, Oooooh! **_

_**Feeling alone,**_

_**The army's up the road...**_

_**Salvation à la mode and a cup of tea.**_"

The three in front of the stage started to perform tricks like any good musician would. Anizawa was pointing down at the audience, getting waves by anxious fans. Kagami and Kaito started to play a few centimeters apart from each other with their stringed instruments facing one another. The Animate employee picked up his voice again for another statement.

"_**Aqualung my friend,**_

_**Don't you start away uneasy...**_

_**You poor old sod, you see, it's only me.**_

_**Me...!**_

**_Oooh Ooooooohh!!!_**"

From that cue, Kaito halted his chords to play a long sustain on his orange fret. The audience had electrified hearing the guitar solo finally arrive. His best friend accompanied the solo, playing successions of light toms, almost like chimes. The chart was a bit softer and strummy than he was accustomed to, but it was powerful all the same with its amplified notes. Once Ryuta played a more solid beat, the real parts of the solo could begin.

After some scratchy sustained notes, Kaito started to flail away at his instrument. He was playing notes of all five colors, whether they were ascending or descending. It wasn't too difficult to the trained eye, but it still required focus all the same. The dazzling sounds by the guitar were being caught up to by growing bass line and random sections of notes. Around the end with a small amount of wankery, Anizawa slowly started to mumble his next set of lyrics. The solo had ending, bringing Kaito back to the set of acoustic chords.

"_**Dee dee dee dee...**_

_**Dee dee dee dee dee dee...**_

_**Dee dee dee dee dee dee, dee dee dee dee.**_"

Konata took a deep gulp from listening through the music that Nanashi had graced her with. She didn't really want to take the risk, but it almost felt like she was obligated to do so. She nudged at her father again to get his attention.

"Hey...dad..."

"Yes?"

"Even though you do a lot of crazy things..." She started. She took another deep breath. "I just want to remind you, that...I'm glad you're my dad."

A satellite from space could see the sparkle in Sojiro's eyes from that statement. He immediately wrapped his arms around his daughter, causing her to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh! I have raised the best daughter in the whole universe! And no other person or character could ever best her!"

"_**Aqualung my friend,**_

_**Don't you start away uneasy.**_

_**You poor old sod, you see, it's only me...yeah...hmm...**_"

Kagami and Kaito smiled down looking at their friend, having a regular hug with their parent. It was almost like the tune had brought them together. They started to wonder if Meito had planned such a move like that...but they couldn't think. The song was returning to how it was in the beginning. Bassist and Guitarist united, they played that memorable series of notes.

"**SING THEM IF YOU KNOW THEM!" **Meito shouted.

"_**Sitting on the park bench!**_

_**Eye-ing little girls with bad intent...**_"

Anizawa smiled, as the crowd joined him along with next set of phrases.

"_**Snot running down his nose!**_

_**Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes...**_

_**Hey, Aqualung!**_

**_Drying in the cold sun!_**

_**Watching as the frilly panties run...**_

_**Hey, Aqualung!**_"

The stagehands couldn't believe what they were witnessing. This had to be Nanashi's best concert yet. But they just couldn't pinpoint on what made it so great. Was it the song selection? The redemption made from that April Fool's Fiasco? Tenchou and the rest of the band's performance? They had no idea, but they were thankful to be a part of the experience.

"_**Feeling like a dead duck!**_

_**Spitting out pieces of his broken luck!**_

_**Hey, Aqualung...Ow!**_"

The Izumi family and the rest of the crowd were at a silence from Kaito's guitar. It played that classic riff, but with a twist. Each time it was played, Ryuta followed it with a rather erratic drum outro. After around three times, the drum solo hit its pinnacle going all across the screen with the bass ending on a sustained chord. Meito knew this was the best time to cap it all off.

"_**Whoooooooa, **_

_**Aqualuuuuuuuuuuuuuung...!!!**_"

Ending on a crash cymbal, one last chord, and the uncanny sounds of piano, the entire band jumped up in to the air in triumph. The crowd then exploded with absolute applause, with a select few crying from the performance. Ryuta joined his three friends on front stage and the four of them took a bow. The curtained closed leaving many of Nanashi's fans feeling complete and satisfied. They had the need to tell everyone and assist their fellow man.

* * *

"**NANASHI!!! GET IN HERE!!!**" President Takahashi shouted from his top floor.

The four of them immediately got to work. A man fueled by passion can get easily irritated. Meito, Kaito, Kagami and Ryuta gathered together by the door.

"Yes, president?" All four of them simultaneously said.

"**I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!**"

He quickly dashed at all of them with his arms wide open. The high school students jumped out of his way, but the Animate employee was stuck in his president's grip.

"**YOUR PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN THE BEST SO FAR! HAVE YOU SEEN THE FORUMS!? OUR PRAISE IS ENDLESS!**"

"**Thank you...President...**" Anizawa huffed.

"**Oh, sorry.**" He said, letting his underling go.

"What did you want president?" Kagami asked.

"**Ahem...Animate had decided to take the next step with the band.**"

"There's another step after playing in arenas?" Kaito said.

"**Of course.**" Takahashi took a deep breath before shouting. **"MUSIC VIDEOS**!"

Nanashi was taken back from that statement. Music videos? A road yet untaken...it sounded perfect! All four of them started grinning at each other, thinking of the possibilities.

* * *

I hope that was fun for you guys. I decided not to write on April Fool's Day just because I really wanted to do something fun. Aqualung is one of my favorite songs from the game and I think it makes anyone playing feel good, so that's why I wanted to throw in that stuff with the Izumi family. An interesting fact about this date as well, is that it's technically Easter for most Eastern Countries. So I still stuck by a holiday. ^_^

Please Review!

**Even More Disclaimers: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. "Aqualung" was written Ian Anderson and Jennie Anderson.**** Produced by Ian Anderson/Terry Ellis and Labeled by Reprise Records. "Still Alive" was written by Jonathon Coulton, sung by Ellen McLain, and composed by Kelly Bailey. Labeled by The Orange Box, Portal, and the Valve Corporation.**


	9. Chapter 9

Happy 4th of July everyone. Sadly, Japan doesn't celebrate this holiday, but I do have some ideas of what I can do for stuff around this season.

I apologize to anyone about my slow updating schedule. After my last update, I felt rather uninspired and down, but after talking to some of my friends, I felt much better. I do however feel a little out of touch, but I hope you readers will smile from reading this. Please enjoy.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is properity of Yoshimizu Kagami, worked on by Kyoto Animation, and licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Additional disclaimers are below in order to not spoil the readers.**

**

* * *

  
**

Kagami walked into the headquarters of Animate with new found confidence. Today was going to be the start of the band's very first music video. No annoying crowds, no silly stunts, and no pressure put on her to perform well. It was still going to be difficult to play nightmare or impossible level bass in the game, but this time she had breathing room. She wasn't at pro status as her other band mates, so she was happy that she could relax a bit.

As she walked into the building, a secretary was quick to guide her to the band's new recording studio. The band had been the hottest, new way for the company to earn money since oppai mouse pads and OVAs were becoming increasingly more expensive. They were happy to spend some money to nurture this trend that was fueled by Meito's passion and hypnotic appeal. She pointed to a room where the others were.

The tsundere entered the room to see Anizawa and Kurohiko watching their friend play away. A jazz-rock sound had encompassed the room as the screen showed a really long, rapid-fire blue and yellow trill. Kagami stayed quiet, knowing that the slightest sound would throw off the player from his game. She was amazed to see her friend hit that incredibly long set of notes.

Once all the colors appeared on the screen, the bassist and singer started to shake around tensely in their seats. He was gonna do it, he was gonna do it! They were so thankful that the outro was converted to the more user-friendly big rock ending or else no one would be able to devastate this song. After that long streak of wankery was over, Kaito hit those final three chords to end the song.

"Yes!!!!" The boy cheered, jumping from the couch he was sitting on.

"**GREAT WORK, KAITO-SAN!**" Meito cheered, giving his friend a great big hug from his accomplishment.

"I'm proud of it too, Meito." Kaito said, a tear nearly coming from his eye.

"How many songs is that for you now Kaito?" Ryuta asked while grinning. "From the main set list."

"About...73?" He assumed.

"**I can't believe you are doing that well.**"

"Well, this thing is basically a job now." Yasuhiro described. "So I have been pushing myself to play better."

"I feel for you. I've been drumming for several years so I wanted to do really good in the game now that I can use it for something."

"**Ryuta-san, how many songs do you have?**"

He pressed his fingers against his temple. "Uh, not sure. I think it's 70 because some of the songs are just ridiculous to hit. Or they have one really annoying fill in an otherwise easy song."

"**I know how you feel. I could have beaten every song in the game, if it was not for one annoying little phrase.**"

"Or some annoying streak of notes."

Kagami felt very disillusioned after hearing her three band mates talk. They were so much more immersed in the game than she thought. And their count was much higher than hers. She had a very small number of twenty, which for the professional Rock Band bassist was a little sad. Not to mention, that many of the songs were pretty simple despite their difficulty. She started to doubt this whole process.

"Hey guys." She slowly said.

The three of them turned their heads, surprised by her presence. "Hey, Kagami!" Kaito said.

"You guys are really into the game now, right?"

"**It's the only game I play at the moment.**" The tenchou confirmed.

"Same here."

"You know I love these kinds of games." The guitarist said.

"Well, I'm hoping we will have a good session today."

"**I will use my talent TO ITS FULL POTENTIAL, KAGAMI-SAMA!**"

Kagami felt a sweat drop crawl down her forehead from that remark. "Oh man, these people are worse than Konata when she's playing that online game of hers. Wait a minute, that's impossible. _Can _someone be more obsessive than Konata?"

A second door creaked open in the room. A voice came from the door giving directions.

"Nanashi?" The voice asked.

"Yes?"

"We're ready for you."

The band prepared for Animate's upcoming plans. They shut off the game and quickly spruced themselves up. Playing the game that seriously does change the atmosphere a bit. Anizawa grabbed the machine with every single song on it and his microphone, followed by the other members with their plastic instruments.

Kagami, Kaito and Ryuta entered the door expecting to see a sound studio with most likely a green screen background. But with President Takahashi...the four of them were greeted by the intense wind of a spinning helicopter.

"**WELCOME, NANASHI!**" The president shouted his booming voice louder than the helicopter blades.

"What's with this?!" Kaito screamed.

"**WE HAVE TO MAKE THE MOST REALISTIC VIDEO WE POSSIBLY CAN!**"

"**I KNEW YOU WOULD DO THIS, PRESIDENT! YOU ARE ALWAYS SO CONSIDERATE OF THE FANS!**" Anizawa said.

"Why do we have to do this?!" Kagami shouted, but as she said it, the blades had turned off, making her the only one with a louder voice. She quickly blushed in embarrassment.

"**I know why you are concerned, Kagami-san.**" Takahashi began. "**But right now, Animate is very dependent on you guys. So some little silly green screen video where you all are just playing your instruments would be TOO BORING.** **So we have to make it somewhat realistic.**"

"And that's why the helicopter is here?" Ryuta said.

"**Exactly. Not only will this video promote the band, but we also plan to promote a rather large animated movie using this video.**"

"**MIYAZAKI!?**" Anizawa cheered in anticipation, sparkles in his eyes.

"**DON'T BE SO FOOLISH!**" The president responded, slapping him to the ground. "**DON'T YOU DARE THINK YOU CAN GET TO THE TOP SO EASILY!**"?

"**I APOLOGIZE FOR MY ARROGANCE!**"

"I know I'm gonna get slapped by that guy one of these days." Kagami sweat dropped.

"Us too." The boys nodded.

"**The director or any of the producers aren't that well known, but they still have the creditability to use our services. And that is why this helicopter here is gonna take you to Hokkaidō.**"

"Hokkaidō?" The bassist asked.

"**Where else would you go for a forest shoot?**"

"He's got a point." Kaito shrugged.

"**NOW COME!**" Takahashi shouted, jumping into the helicopter with the machines starting back up again. "**WE ALREADY HAVE CREW ON THE ISLAND WAITING FOR US!**"

The four musicians boarded into the helicopter, making sure that nothing would get crushed and everyone could be comfortable. Even as an anime company with a helicopter, they were skimping on some of the expenses like breathing room. The helicopter took off from a conveniently opened gate from the side of the building, off to Hokkaidō. Ryuta looked out the window, mumbling to himself.

"I wonder what would happen if we were to say no to any of this."

"Probably get punched out the window." His friend suggested.

* * *

A few hours later...

Everyone arrived at a random location in forests of the Hokkaidō Prefecture. The four of them looked at environment of awe as they never had been to the place before. It was a shame that they couldn't stay for too long though.

"Oi, is that the band?" A stagehand whispered.

"Yeah." Another said. "Should we tell them that seismic activity is expected today?"

"It'll just worry them."

"**It's very lovely here.**" Meito said, bewildered. "**No wonder people love those anime shots of one lone girl in the forest. It's beautiful.**"

Kagami stretched. "Mmm, I just want to get to playing. That ride was tough."

"Is that supposed to be our trademark or something?" Kaito questioned.

"It is, Kaito-sama." The pilot said. "Whenever you need it, the company has provided this helicopter for your personal uses. Especially if you want Animate products."

"They can't hold off from the product placement." Ryuta said, his eyes slanted.

The company quickly got to work with their assignment. Nanashi was directed to various parts of the set for optimum appearance and performance. Camera crews equipped with great technology were ready to capture the band in their purest form. Even though hardly anyone played video games outside, the four musicians felt at ease in this forest. Having officials watch you play as much better than hundreds of rabid otaku.

"Okay, everyone. Ready at Anizawa's signal."

Anizawa gave the thumbs up to the technicians who immediately started filming. An appropriate "4...3...2..." sequence appeared in front of recording screen as the game loaded for the band mates. The workers quickly began touching up every little detail, including putting a band logo and identification, like with any normal music video. Everyone came to a silence though, when the music started to play.  
_**  
**_The song started without hesitation, with the sounds of Kaito's guitar playing. While he only hit a single note at a time, each strum sounded like an electric slash through the woods. He played a quick set of hammer-ons to introduce the rest of the band mates. Anizawa sang in dreary, but serious tone.  
_  
"__**This forest,**_

_**Is growing faster than I can tell.**_"

While the guitar handled chords, Ryuta's drums were being overrun by never-ending bass pedal. The loud thumping intensified the sounds of each string pluck or snare hit.

"_**Cell structure,**_

_**Eats away at a massive swell.**_"

The bass pedal did take a small break, but only to show off the drummer's impressive fills.

"_**Seems however,**_

_**I'm a victim of circumstance.**_"

Once it moved to the next lyric, the speed of the song changed. While the bass guitar bowed out, the constant stomping from the drums returned. The guitar his a long stream of green notes, before hitting a powerful, heart-striking chord.

"_**HUNT FOR...OGRES AND DWARVES!**_

_**LION SLICER!**_"

Kaito hit a long, returning chain of pull-offs as Meito raised his harmonic voice.

"_**RUN! WITH,**_"

The vocals only seemed to pause to let Ryuta hit a nasty snare roll.

"_**Deeeath...**_

_**RUN! WITH,**_

_**Deeeeath!**_"

Even after that quick change in pitch, Meito felt unaffected as the song returned to its slower-form. While it wasn't as affective as the louder, faster part, it kept the same amount of compelling intimidation.

"_**White faces,**_

_**Coming closer with every step.**_

_**Earth envelopes,**_

_**Taking breathe without happenstance.**_"

The crew started to become a bit uncomfortable from the performance. The lyrics, when spoken by Anizawa, were becoming very graphic. They were wondering if it was going to affect the video after its production...

"_**Carve my teeth out,**_

_**Ripping through the sheep's head curse.**_"

Nanashi, unchanged by the shift in tempo, adapted to the more intense part of the song.

"_**HUN-TER...GATHERER!**_

_**RIDDEN FROM THE CAVE!**_

_**RUN! WITH,**_

_**Deeeath...**_

_**RUN! WITH,**_

_**Deeeeath!**_ "

The band returned to the first gear, but with a few subtle changes. This time, Kagami had a lot more involvement as her sustains changed to notes. Kaito would now occasionally hit lines of ascending and then descending chords. Over time, everyone moved down to their slowest speed as the drums moved to a rather simple beat and the guitarists only had to hit slow moving notes. But this allowed Anizawa to really show off his vocal chords.

"_**Goooooone awaaaaaay**_

_**My heart's goooone awaaaaay...**_"

People were being amazed by his voice, as it seemed to echo throughout the forest. The harmonies even enchanted the sound of Ryuta's improvised fills.

"_**Tak-ing every-thing...**_

_**My heart's goooone awaaaaay**_

_**Take it now.**_ "

The song was like a schizophrenic roller coaster ride, now moving back to that thrashing speed with all three instruments. Meito and Kaito were getting more and more in the song as they jumped around on the set.

"_**RUN! WITH,**_

_**Deeeath...**_

_**RUN! WITH,**_

_**Deeeeath!**_"

Crew members really started to get worried now. Even though the sound guys were bent on catching the music, and the visionaries were set on watching the footage, stagehands started to get worried about the environment. Trees looked more withered and pale since a few minutes ago. A creeping aura of evil seemed to seep around Hokkaido just from this sludge-like sound. Anizawa gripped onto his heart and reached out to the camera as he spoke his last set of lyrics:

"_**Goooooone awaaaaaay**_

_**My heart's goooone awaaaaay**_

_**Tak-ing every-thing...**_

_**My heart's goooone awaaaaay**_

_**Take it now.**_ "

Things hit their final stage as they prepared for Kaito's guitar solo. Ryuta kept his focus on the red pad as the snare roll he was working on was going to last a good fifteen seconds. The guitar chart was just barraged with a set of alternative strumming, triple chords, and quick hammer-ons. Just as the end of their streak, Kagami had one shining moment as she started to alternate and have a long note chain of her own.

Once the solo started with several trills, the Animate crew became worried over the slowly unstabilizing environment. With Yasuhiro's solo moving into fast strumming along with the insane note streaks, the earth literally started to shake. This was the key moment of the song, where the visual effects would really need to become impressive. Many of the extra stage hands started to record the additional bedlam going on around the band.

Sounds of electric guitar and thunderous drumming made the island almost feel queasy from the unspeakable change. The trees were now starting to completely wilt away, causing the substance to affect all the foliage around it. Fear started to take over the minds of the Animate workers as they started up the various aircrafts to get out of there. Kaito hit his final sustain to end the song on a triumphant note.

But these feelings of jubilee couldn't last long as the musicians broke out of their rock and roll fantasy.

"Wha-what is going on!?" Kagami screamed.

"Did we cause all this!?" Ryuta said.

"Oh, I don't want to go through all of this again!"

"**EVERYONE! GET TO THE CHOPPERS!**"

With the equipment packed and the band secure, everyone made a mad dash to the helicopters. Lucky for all of the workers, being an employee of the Animate Corporation required extensive amounts of passion and stamina. While that particular forest felt like it was turning into an undead wasteland, everyone had safely walked into the plane. All the members of Nanashi were curled up in the backseat as they flew over the ocean.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." Kagami murmured.

"Good news!" The pilot said, turning to see the panicked quartet. "All of the footage was saved!"

Just from hearing those words, the four of them breathed out massive sighs of relief. Some so big that one could see their souls coming from their mouths. Anizawa looked back towards Hokkaidō, just astonished at what happened.

Perhaps this whole venture was going to be trickier than he expected...

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that. If you review, feel free to be critical because I feel a little rusty from not writing in a while. I had fun with some of the references though. Also, I do have a poll up for this story, so if you are interested, take a look at my profile.

Thanks for reading!

**Hey Look, Disclaimer: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Colony of Birchmen was written by Mastadon. Produced by Matt Bayles**** and Mastadon; ****Labeled by Warner Records.**


	10. Chapter 10

All I can say is, you guys will be calling me a "slowpoke" for a multitude of reasons. I just want to say that I WILL be making up for this.

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is property of Yoshimizu Kagami and Kyoto Animation and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. They all need to be a little kinder to the English Audience as well.**

* * *

"Everybody, **GET IN HERE**!" President Takahashi screamed as he turned on the public speakers.

Without warning, the members of _Nanashi_ and many of the workers of Animate filled the room. From the executives, to the shareholders, to the people working on the floor, everyone was there to listen to their president. Every time he summoned the company into his single office, something monumental was about to occur.

"**Is everyone here?!**" He shouted.

"Yes, here boss, here, YES!" Various people in the crowd said.

"**Excellent then...**" He said, before coughing. In one second, the room shifted as Takahashi's eyes literally filled with tears as he shouted at the team. "**WE ARE BEING SUED!**"

Many people were taken back like a dangerous secret was discovered about them. "What?!" The members of staff shouted.

"I'm afraid it's true…" Takahashi spoke solemnly.

"**WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?**" Meito shouted in panic.

"The creators of the game, they saw our recent music video, and believe that it is copyright infringement…" The president threw the official papers on his desk. "**IT'S ALL IN BLACK AND WHITE! THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE A CLEAR CUT CASE!**"

Workers of Animate began to act hysterically. The anime industry was already having problems with the low pay to all workers, the demanding fanbase, the unoriginal merchandise, the slow sales, digital distribution…the list was just about endless. One of the more perky members decided to speak up.

"Do they have any demands?"

"They say that we either disband _Nanashi_ or pay up a hefty sum." The president informed.

"Disband them!" Various members of Animate said.

"What?!" The men of the band shouted.

"We've been keeping this business afloat thanks to our performances!" Kaito said.

"Attendance and sales have gone up to! We've been making this company stick out compared to the others!" Ryuta argued.

"**YOU CAN'T GET RID OF US THAT EASILY!**"

A feud quickly erupted between the three men versus the rest of the staff. Kagami took this opportunity to go over the paperwork. She would be fine either way if the band played or not. Her performances never really interfered with her real life compared to other teenage idols. Perhaps this was because she didn't try to hide it up with a super-cute personality or a disguise using a different kind of wig.

Then again, she probably just looked at this as a distraction from all the bickering. Hiiragi had a good amount of knowledge on the legal system, from some of her studies and watching those crime drama shows with her family. Once she came across the main problem, she felt rather embarrassed. This was something that even a non-educated person could figure out. The problem was clear-cut but it was obvious as a case could possibly be.

"Hey!" Kagami shouted. The people couldn't hear the tsundere over their own problems. She placed her fingers by her mouth creating an audible whistle. All of the eyes were now on her. "Did anyone bother to read this?" She said in a deadpan tone.

"**Why would you say that?!**" Takahashi shouted. "**OF COURSE I READ IT!**"

"Uh-huh." Kagami spoke. "Did you read the part where this problem could be easily fixed?"

Everyone looked in Kagami's direction with a confused look. Meito himself walked up to his band mate and took the papers from her hands. After close inspection, he felt great shame. To think that the owner of a large company could miss something so easy and so obvious was just silly. He continued to look at the papers, noting the true reason that the lawsuits were filed.

"Sir…"

"Yes?"

Anizawa put a volcanic mix of fury and passion into his left hand. He swiped the president right across the face causing him to fly into the wall. The other members of Animate were astonished that lower-ranking employee attacked one of the corporate leaders. And the president of all people! Meito's fiery anger reflected in his eyes as he pointed at the hole in the wall.

"**YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO CREDIT THE ORIGINAL CREATORS?!**"

Instead of a forceful counterattack, Takahashi responded in a more innocent matter.

"Well, I wanted to get more people into the band. And a cover band isn't all that eye-catching..."

"What?!" Everyone shouted.

Being the rhythm-game expert, Kaito spoke up about the situation. "Wait a minute; people don't know that we are a cover band? And you didn't even bother to give credit to the original sources?!"

"Isn't that copyright infringement?" Ryuta said.

"Clearly." Kagami said. "From what I read, this started when we put our music video live. It started with the concerts that were hitting the internet at an alarming rate. However, distributing a video throughout all of Japan with our own logo on it has brought a lot of attention. Especially the fact that we did not credit the band we covered! We didn't give credit where credit is due, that's why we are getting sued!"

"**WE WERE SPITTING IN THE FACES OF TRUE ARTISTS AROUND THE WORLD! WE WORK IN ANIME FOR HARUHI'S SAKE, WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE LEGAL SYSTEM!**"

"How many people exactly know what we are doing?" Kaito questioned.

"Well…" The president's secretary said. "From our studies, 52% of the attendees enjoy what you do even if it's based off of a game or not. They truly believe that what you do helps the anime industry and it's a great way of helping Animate."

_Nanashi_ smiled from that fact. People saw them as professional entertainers now. It gave them a great sense of confidence that they game playing skills had helped in the long run.

"The rest believe that you are just another gimmick to earn the company money. Since you don't really play your own music or play your own songs."

All of those great thoughts the band was feeling? They were now out the window as they lowered their heads in disappointment.

"People have been responding well to the music video. Many of our critics say that it was well designed and the visuals were amazing. The energy was there like attending a concert. This could be a big step for us!"

"I got it…" The Animate President arose from his pain. "If they want to music videos…then I have the perfect idea. **EVERYONE, GET TO THE UNDERGROUND STUDIO NOW!**"

Like a flock of seagulls, the employees flooded out of the room to get to the green screen room. Masses of people were getting cramped on the elevators or falling down the stairs. They were just doing whatever they could to please their boss. Animate could of used their elite set of helicopters…but due to the fear of lawsuits, they couldn't. Collateral damage was also really expensive.

The three teenagers from Ryoo High School just looked at the top floor of the company in a stupor. Praise was nice, but they fell into a very dark state. Playing video games had officially turned into very serious business.

* * *

A few days later…

A party was being held at Patricia's apartment in celebration of the newest music video from _Nanashi_. The room was small…perhaps a little too small for twelve people, but that made it all the more personal and inviting. Everyone had their backs to the walls as their eyes just focused on the television screen. Konata looked at her cell phone to check the time. She groaned rather audibly as the anime they were watching felt insanely long.

"When is the music video going to start!?" She shouted.

"Please don't shout that loud when I'm right next to you." Kagami strained.

"These things take time." Hiyori said from across the room. "You know that they make viewers watch the entire show before the promo actually airs! That's one of the oldest broadcasting tricks in the book!"

"It's pretty common to that around highly anticipated airings like this." Minami said. "They stretch out the time and advertise other programs on that particular network."

"Wow, I didn't know you knew so much about business, Minami-chan!" Yutaka chimed in, looking at her with doe eyes.

Hiyori cocked her head at her at that second. "That's what I just said!" Hiyori screamed in her mind. "Why is Minami getting so much attention!? Well…at least I can see Yutaka with doe eyes without feeling guilty. Oh wait, I can't draw this down, the video will air in a few minutes!"

Kaito leaned over to see Hiyori in agony. He nudged Patricia on the shoulder. "I think someone's having a creative issue." He whispered.

She giggled. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen that face."

The two of them had a good laugh from that. Their fujoshi had a wonderful brain but would often suffer from too many synapses. While Ryuta could hear his best friend laughing, he remained astute on the television. Usually, people would ignore him at concerts because he was in the back and didn't even sing the harmonies. Drummers were always getting the short end of the stick…unless there was a keyboardist in the band. However, with this music video, he would finally get some time in the limelight.

Miyuki took notice to this. "You seem rather focused, Kurohiko-san."

"Oh, what?" Ryuta said, startled. "Yeah, I'm really excited about the video."

"Tell me something…" The meganekko started. "With this music video, are you going for the same cinematography like your last video or is it going to be completely different?"

"Actually today we are going for something completely different. We're using green screen technology with a large number of lights and CGI. It's a scene at night, but because of the constant due to the constant change in scenery, we had to do a lot more analyzing and keying out than for normal video."

Miyuki nodded to the technical jargon, while Tsukasa just blanked out. With the babble on her right and her sister arguing on the left, she was just stuck in an uncomfortable position. The only thing she could really do was look at television. Her eyes lit open as words started to appear across the screen.

"Everyone!" She shouted. "It's on!"

A hush immediately filled the room as everyone's eyes focused on the screen. Everything was tuned out just so that they could watch all of _Nanashi's_ talent work in constant motion.

* * *

The scenery looked very stylish from the very first frame. It was a shot of the moon as its lunar light shined down across the terrain at full force. The camera slowly descended, moving from the moon to a street lined with wooden cottages. In a wink, a cloud of dust immediately puffed up in a straight line, moving in a single direction. The dust curved to the right reaching one particularly large house.

As the dust cleared, a lone rickshaw was positioned in front of the wealthy building. Three law enforcement officers, equipped with jutte, walked from their vehicle to the front door. The taller man signaled his partner to stay and guard the front door, while the girl they brought along was left to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. He knocked once, hoping for a response. Nothing. Without warning, he burst the door open, kicking off the song and starting the chase.

_**Bow!**_

He screamed, trying to move through the complex corridors. This time the video was more about the atmosphere. The guitar and base kept a similar riff, hitting a pair of eight notes, then four descending, and then four ascending notes. The drums moved in a completely erratic pattern, focusing on mostly the hi-hat while hitting the snare and bass pedal at random parts. Meito continued to struggled as he moved through several parts of house.

_**Da!**_

_**Da-ish-ah Bow!**_

He walked into a new room where his jaw dropped immediately to the floor. It was a total mess…it looked like a rather nasty struggle with stains on the bed. A clay-red color was sprayed on various areas of the room hitting all the furniture.

_**Da uh…**_

_**Uh…ah…oh no!**_

Meito tried to keep to himself as he analyzed the situation.

_**As he came into the window, was a sound of a crescendo.**_

_**He came into her apartment, left the bloodstains on the carpet.**_

_**She was sitting at the table; you could see she was unable.**_

Studying the marks, he found a large stain around one of the sliding doors. Once he opened it, his eyes went huge looking at the body found on the ground.

_**So she ran into the bedroom, she was struck down, it was her doom.**_

Meito's duty as a police officer went into overdrive as he looked over the body. She looked really badly beaten, but he wasn't able to confirm total death. He quickly went to work trying every motion to get her back to life. Musically, the tempo stayed the same, but the instruments changed slightly. The guitar changed to sustained chords while the bass moved in sets of four notes. He started to shout, hoping to get through to her, calling out the name labeled on the house.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**YOU OKAY, PATTY?!**_

At this point, Kaito entered the room not bearing to wait any longer. He was sure no one else was going to try and break in due to the subtlety of the crime. Seeing the body, he went into a total panic, diving down to attempt to revive the girl. It was all happening so fast for him, he had trouble trying to analyze the situation.

_**Patty, are you okay, would you tell us that you're okay?**_

_**And the sound of a window, that he struck you, a crescendo Patty!**_

_**Came into your apartment, left the bloodstains on the carpet.**_

_**Then you ran into the bedroom, you were struck down. It was your doom.**_

During that last chorus, the beat changed again as the guitar hit a series of chords from all across the fret board. What were peculiar were the drums, which moved to a ride-based pattern that moved from place to place. That same tone of concern and panic was just enhancing the song.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

Meito pumped his fists together coming to one true deduction:

_**You've been hit by;**_

_**you've been struck by,**_

_**A SMOOTH CRIMINAL!**_

Anizawa tried to keep his cool as his partner was trying as desperately as he could to resuscitate the victim. Things had calmed down as the second verse indicated the change back to the normal, instrumental patterns. He tried to look over the situation logically, as sitting here would not catch the culprit responsible for this heinous crime.

_**So he came into the out-way, it was Sunday, but a black day.**_

_**I could make salutation, selling heartbeat...intimidation.**_

As much as he tried to deduce the situation, he couldn't think over the hysterical partner.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**YOU OKAY, PATTY?!**_

Meito took this time to call for backup. The girl got up from the rickshaw and decided to scour around the houses, to look for a crawl space or a dimly-lit area. He explained the situation to her in full detail, trying to ignore the crying in the room.

_**Patty, are you okay; would you tell us that you're okay?!**_

_**And the sound of a window, then he struck you, a crescendo, Patty!**_

_**Came into your apartment, left the bloodstains on the carpet.**_

_**Then you ran into the bedroom, you were struck down, it was your doom.**_

Kaito tried one last time to wake the girl up in a desperate attempt, pushing hard against her sternum.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**Are you okay, Patty?**_

At that moment, the visiting English woman coughed in a frenzy as she awoke from her unconscious state. She could hardly move or talk though, the blunt damage a bit too severe for her to move. Kaito was glad however, picking her up and taking her to the vehicle in order to find the hospital. He informed her about the one thing he knew for sure:

_**You've been hit by,**_

_**you've been struck by,**_

_**A smooth criminal!**_

Kagami and Meito, knowing that the victim was safe, went through a quick sweep through the village to find the perpetrator. The two of them pulled out their miniature lanterns and started to check for more concealed areas. Anizawa's ears picked up the sounds of footsteps, causing him to turn around. Before him was a bespectacled ninja whose body was completely immersed in the moonlight, revealing a weapon in his hand. The singer shouted to get the other officers attention.

_**Bow!**_

The chase was on as the ninja scrambled away from the moonlight into an alley. Meito followed him, but was having trouble catching up with him due to his amazing agility. He corned the culprit into a corner, grinning over the beating he was gonna give him. The ninja wasn't going to captured that easily however as he jumped from wall to wall to get to the roof. He eluded Meito, but was not expecting the tsundere waiting for him.

Musically, the song was becoming more aggressive. The bass kept the same pace, but the guitar and drums were going completely nuts. After one chord, the guitar moved in a frantic solo, moving across the fretboard in a shower of hammer-ons and pull-offs. It's ferocity was only enhanced by the constant strumming. The drums were going all over the place with multiple fills. One was a constant series of snare rolls, while others moved across the entire drum kit altogether.

Things became more crucial as the ninja knew he would have to fight one of the officers. Kagami engaged him by battle by attempting to strike him with her jutte. He retaliated by dodging her blows and trying to push her away. And while he himself tried to fight back with body blows, the girl's juttejutsu was up for the challenge. The two of them were fighting rather noisy as they exchanged attacks.

_**Bow! Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

Meito had to interfere, it would be the best way to get the ninja. Dropping his lantern, he used his sheer leg power to jump from wall to wall and up upon the roof. The ninja panicked, but had an ace up his sleeve. He pushed Kagami away, quickly started to move his hands into some kind of chant. In a blink of the eye, a clone of himself had appeared, willing to fight the strong man. The two of them were shocked, but they fought against the ninjas with intense vigor._**  
**_  
_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da hoo!**_

_**Da doo da doo da da…**_

As much as Kaito wanted to help, he had to take the girl the hospital. Every second was vital. He continued to talk to at least stimulate her senses.

_**Patty, are you okay; would you tell us that you're okay?!**_

_**And the sound of a window, then he struck you, a crescendo, Patty!**_

_**Came into your apartment, left the bloodstains on the carpet.**_

_**Then you ran into the bedroom, you were struck down, it was your doom.**_

The song was reaching its climax as the guitar broke into loud, speedy riffs after its solo. The fight on the rooftops was doing the same as the green-haired ninja started to use smarter tactics to defeat his enemies. The two of them doubled up on Kagami, using to sweep her legs and knock her off the edge.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

Meito retaliated in anger, trying to bash the ninja's head in with full force. But that was the route the ninja wanted him to take. The two ninjas joined forces as they shoulder tackled him back into the alley.

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

_**Patty, are you okay, you okay?**_

_**You okay, Patty?**_

Song-wise, the tempo returned to its original beat while the enforcers struggled back to their feet. Kagami was lucky enough to hang onto the edge, as she climbed slowly up the building.

_**Bow!**_

Meito, still with strength in his body, jumped back up the roof to find one lone ninja by himself. His clone form must have faded away.

_**Bow!**_

As the two enforcers reached the roof once again, the quickly became overwhelmed by what the ninja had planned. In his hand was a bomb, which he threw to the ground without flinched. A puff of smoke erupted from the blast. As it cleared, Meito and Kagami were furious to learn that the ninja had completely vanished.

_**Bow!**_

And after that last shout and a tom roll, the song had completely ended with a sign of the defeated warriors.

* * *

At Patty's Apartment...

Several faces were in awe of what they saw, with the exception of the band members themselves. Going through take after take and seeing the final product had prepared them for the awesome. Konata was quick to speak.

"That video was amazing! Oh man, I can't believe you were able to pull it off so quickly!" She shouted.

"Oh, it's nothing really…" Kagami shrugged.

"Are you kidding!? This one was so much better than the last one! Oh, the things that Kagami-sama can create!" Konata said, taking a diving hug at the bassist's stomach.

"He-hey!" Kagami was one to appreciate praise, but didn't like it when people grabbed her midsection.

Hiyori was in a different state of surprise.

"How did you get Patty-chan to appear in that video!? Oh, I can't believe it! I actually know someone in a music video!" The fujoshi rather blinked over that embarrassing remark, knowing the band members already.

"I pulled some strings." Kaito said. "I thought it would be a fun take to use someone I knew instead of who they were planning to use. I might of sacrificed some of my pay, but it was worth it."

"Kaito-kun is so sweet." Patty said, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"So that's why you set it had the party here…" Minami acknowledged.

Everyone had felt really positive over this new music video from _Nanashi_. Telling the song in story formed had changed the mood for the better, than the typical fare of standing and playing. Animate was all about flash, and it really showed here. Everyone appreciated the new change in direction from the action to the way the music and lyrics matched the visuals. Tsukasa and Miyuki were very impressed by what had happened. It seemed that this new change was going to something that both the critics and fans will love.

With the lone exception of Kobayakawa Yutaka who was hiding in the corner. A bloody, battered body was a bit too much for her to handle.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed that and my holiday-based chapters, for they shall return. Thanks for reading; please review! Do inform me of any spelling errors because I really wanted to show people that I was still writing.

**Hey, Disclaimer!: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Smooth Criminal was written by Michael Jackson. Produced by ****Himself and Quincy Jones; ****Labeled by Epic Records. The cover was performed by Alien Ant Farm and Produced by Jay Baumgardner; Labeled by SKG Records.**

PS: I think the girl in that song died, but I'm not gonna kill a Lucky Star character for theatrics. Especially not Patty-chan.


	11. Chapter 11

Oh man, I'm feeling a total rush right now. Writing two chapters in one whole week? Man, that is hard. Well...hard for me that is. Hopefully this will lead to good things as I get moving with my other story and hopefully continuing this one. This one story does have plenty of fun plans with it.

Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Lucky Star is property of Yoshimizu Kagami and Kyoto Animation and is licensed by Bandai Entertainment. ****Prepare for something a little different this time around, readers.**  


* * *

"Ah, ah-choo!" Konata sneezed.

Legendary Girl A groaned loudly as her head throbbed. It was hard enough to keep the thermometer in her mouth when your face felt like it was going to convulse. She didn't want to feel this way…but luck is truly even. Even though she was feeling crappy, she was hoping that she could just take some pills and then feel better in a few hours. Little did she realize off over-the-counter green antihistamines. After cleaning her face with a few tissues, she slowly removed the thermometer from her mouth.

"38°C…" She moaned. "Oh, are you kidding me?"

"Onee-chan?" A voice said.

Yutaka slowly put her head through Konata's bedroom to see how she was doing. It was too often that she would be cared for by her family or friends, but it was much different to see someone else sick for a change. Kona-chan may of caught the bug Yutaka had, but that gave the small girl more incentive to look after her cousin.

"Are you okay?"

"Ugh…I can't believe I missed that concert."

Yutaka sweat dropped. "It's okay, you shouldn't stress yourself when this happens. Take it from me."

"I'm their number one fan…" Konata said, trying to limp out of bed. Once she stood on her two feet, she felt the sudden pain of a head rush. It caused her to plop right back down onto her mattress.

"It was better that you stayed. Besides, if you went to the concert in this state, everyone around you would get sick. Or your condition could have worsened!"

As much as she did want to go, she knew Yutaka was right. Not to mention, she made a rather compelling case, but it's pretty hard to say no when you are looking down at those giant, peridot doe eyes. She shrugged it off, and decided to make the best of the situation.

"You're right, Yu-chan." She said, making the two girls smile. "Would you mind then making me some honey tea?"

"Of course!"

Konata slid off of her bed and got up slowly. If she wasn't going to see the concert, she may as well kill time the way she usually did on a Saturday night. The fever she was getting felt really intense. It even made her anime-strained eyes hurt when she stared at her computer screen. She covered her eyes as she loaded up her favorite MMORPG. Killing monsters would be just as comfortable as a concert, wouldn't it?

Something was odd however. She looked at her friends list…completely empty. Not even Kuroi-sensei was logged on. If she wasn't on, there must have been a problem. She scrolled through her instant messaging list. None of her otaku friends were on. In the blink of an eye, a highlighted name appeared on the list, Kagamiku. She quickly opened a window to what happened.

"Hey Kagamiiiiiiiiin!" She typed.

…no response.

Konata continued to type. "Are you there? How was the concert?"

A slowly, but surely, a response appeared. "J-j-just look at the forums."

_Kagamiku has signed off_.

Konata blinked from that simple response. "Must have been some concert…" She mumbled.

She followed the tsundere's orders by typing Nanashi's website into the address bar. She scrolled down to the main forum that talked about live concert experiences. A thread focused on today's concert was particularly hot, filled with plenty of comments even though the concert had begun only an hour ago. Konata shifted her eyes on the first page of the thread and started to read through.

"OMG, can you believe that?!"

"What will Nanashi do next…"

"I've never been so scared in my life."

"WHY KAMI-SAMA WHY?!"

"Someone broke my ribs!"

"Thousands of otakus + RAAAAAAAAAAAGE = PAIN"

"What's wrong with them!?"

The otaku girl was stunned from the comments. Sure, many of them were as short and lame, but they were all positive messages nonetheless. We're the fans trolled again? No, no corporation would ever do something that mean twice. She kept scrolling down hoping for a clear cut answer on what the situation was. None of her regular friends were on the forum or on IM, so something had to be up.

The blunette finally reached one post that would explain it all. Her jaw slowly descended down as she read on. It began with the follow statement:

"The Insanity of a Frightened Virgin

Nanashi has taught me one thing when they played on that stage today. And it is that horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared.

These events are not false and are to be taken very literally_._"

* * *

I thought Nanashi playing would be a magical experience. From the reviews I had heard on websites and the buzz around Saitama, nothing scared me from going to that venue where the larger-than-life band would play. I was a bit worried walking to my seat, located in the first section of the pavilion. Geographically, it was located behind the orchestra or in this case, the mosh pit. Oh, I pray for the people who were stuck there.

The concert was performed exactly at sunset. I suppose it was to match with the appeal of Halloween, even though I really don't get what that is. Yeah, there's costumes and candy and scary stuff everywhere, but it's like, what's the point? Why would you celebrate some kind of Western Holiday? Why not something more practically like the Tanabata Festival. But then again, it's rare to find a movie based off the wonders of hanging wishes on trees.

Once sunset hit, the lights had completely closed to black and before the thousands of fans…we were mesmerized. Too many candles for me to count simultaneously lit up on the stage. It didn't take long for people to murmur however as we heard people walking around above us. Once everything was set up, dimmer switches controlled the lights and shined down on the band. There wasn't much light, but there was enough for us to see each glorious member.

Kagami and Kaito were respectfully dressed up as the members of Detroit Metal City. The guitarist wore his armor suit with the blonde wig, "kill" written on his forehead, and his mangled looking guitar of choice. Kagami also dressed as Jagi-sama, with a blonde wig and a bat-like suit that covered her arms and legs, with fully-fledged wings on her back. I heard rumors that they dressed like this at their very first concert, but man it was amazing to see them in concert.

Ryuta-kun, as I was told, did not dress for the first concert. But this case, he must have been forced to wear that blonde wig. Compared to the others though, it was a flat top that went straight in the air. He wore a red vest and had decorative face point on. They wanted to complete the whole DMC-trifecta. I thought it was nice, I loved that show! I wish they would make a second season. But I hope they stray a little from the manga. I don't give a damn about the band Dezumu.

But I'm rambling. What was really amazing was Meito-sama. Oh my god, he was so beautiful looking compared to the rest of the members. He was wearing a black trench coat along with a matching top hat that sat upon his lovely black hair. His face was also painted, mostly white except around his eyes and mouth, which looked to be bleeding black sludge. The icing on the cake was his microphone, which molded in the shape of a cross that he held in his left hand.

This was it…the feeling that I was preparing for! I knew the money I spent was going to be worth it! I could feel the energy. After all three of the band hit their instruments together, Kaito played this lovely riff. He would hit a few notes, but was constantly fretting across his guitar. Once the song had kicked off, the other instruments would enter in as Ryuta played a drum roll across his kit.

Here's where things really got crazy…once we heard Meito talking. This was beyond what we were normally expecting from the almighty Anizawa-sama, but he was talking like a demon from hell with his words today. At first, he started out very calm. I remember this because the guitar was very punctuated at this point; Kaito's fingers were dancing along the buttons. He spoke in a serious tone…

_**If there was a single day I could live…**_

_**A single breath I could take…**_

_**I'd trade all the others away.**_

Both guitarists would play this chugging riff as they would hit notes and slowly move on from there. Kagami played a bigger role this time since her bass seemed to move in the same pattern as Kaito's guitar. The drums were loud, but relatively simple. They played in this weird offbeat bass pattern with the occasion snare or tom in the way. The people were really getting into it, but that was soon change as Meito screamed his first true lyric.__

_**THE BLOOD'S ON THE WALL, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST ADMIT IT.**_

In mere seconds, all those fanboy smiles and swoons were gone just like the money from our wallets. This was totally different than what we expected... I know I'm sounded repetitive here, but it's the god-honest truth.

_**AND BLEACH OUT THE STAINS, COMMIT TO FORGETTING IT.**_

Once Kaito hit a sustain on his guitar, Anizawa dashed at the stage and glared into the eyes of the audience. It was as if he was shaving away at our consciousness with words.

_**YOU'RE BETTER OFF EMPTY AND BLANK!**_

_**THAN LIVE WITH A SINGLE PATHETIC TRACE OF THIS!**_

This is gonna haunt my nightmares so bad…the only thing I could hear with the loud riffs and insane lyrics was the sound of Ryuta slapping his ride cymbal.

_**SMOTHER UNDER THE FAILURE!**_

_**LAY THIS TO REST!**_

The bass increased to an insane degree as the members of the band were really getting into their song. Kaito could be seen headbanging as he hit every single note. Without worry of the fans, Meito just screamed his lines as the drummer accompanied each moment with a technically impressive roll. He was now yelling/screaming like the warden of a jail.

_**CONSOLE YOURSELF!**_

_**YOU'RE BETTER ALONE!**_

_**DESTROY YOURSELF, **_

_**SEE WHO GIVES A FUCK!**_

I was even amazed. The swore too! I don't think I heard Anizawa say the word FUCK before!

_**ABSORB YOURSELF!**_

_**YOUR BETTER ALONE!**_

_**DESTROY YOURSEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLFFFFFFFF!**_

As they moved onto the next verse, I could see something wasn't right. The otakus were getting really messed up from the lyrics, which was so odd. From what I was told, watching Nanashi play was supposed to be like some, euphoric trip! Where you could accomplish anything or feel great passion! The only thing Meito-sama was doing was instilling fear into our very souls with his graphic words.

_**I'LL CHAIN YOU TO THE TRUTH, FOR THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!**_

_**I'LL TURN THE SCREWS OF VENGEANCE, AND BURY YOU WITH HONESTY!**_

__We were all getting more intense every second after second. The looks I saw were just ranging from every possible emotion. A few people were smiling, hoping that this was the musical direction the band was going to take. Others were in complete shock, not being able to comprehend how something so horrifying could come in musical form. I could only again hear that ride and those sustained notes. __

_**I'LL MAKE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TO LIFE,**_

_**AND SLAY THEM AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAME!**_

_**SMOTHER UNDER THE FAILURE!**_

Anizawa pointed down at the audience with the fury of his index finger. Many of fans must have revisited their childhoods like their dad had found them doing something truly horrendous. He continued to scream on like it was only a show.

_**LAY THIS TO REST!**_

_**CONSOLE YOURSELF!**_

_**YOU'RE BETTER ALONE!**_

_**DESTROY YOURSELF, **_

_**SEE WHO GIVES A FUCK!**_

Ryuta played an impressive snare roll at this part…I wonder if anyone else noticed that. I don't know. It actually looked like some of the fans were crying or moistening their pants from the number of scared faces I saw. I pray someone doesn't put this on Nicovideo or people will be having nightmares.

_**ABSORB YOURSELF!**_

_**YOUR BETTER ALONE!**_

_**DESTROY YOURSEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLFFFFFFFF!**_

Strobes lights blasted at this point as the three instrumentalists played single notes, like blacksmiths pounding on anvils with their hammers. They each hit five notes, followed by a smaller succession. Each hit seemed to quake our souls. I couldn't help but look as the band was becoming truly terrifying from moment to moment. The fans looked devastated.

_**SEE WHO GIVES A FUCK!**_

They returned to the normal lights, but kept that seem beat. Everyone except for Ryuta who returned to his offbeat rhythm with more cymbal emphasis. Meito just kept screaming at us like he was tearing our sanity like tissue paper.

_**SEE WHO GIVES A FUCK!**_

_**SEE WHO GIVES A FUCK!**_

I was not prepared for what happened next. The machine-gun like riffs were returning as I could hear the electric sounds from Kaito's guitar. But he wouldn't take the spotlight long as Anizawa finally took us to our breaking point. He was taking a loud breath as he placed his cross-microphone right in front of his face, and screamed:

_**FFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

__I could watch as fans souls were completely shattered. Their eyes dead, like seeing a Kyoto Animation drama. It was almost as if Meito was point out the horrible atrocities that many of them were guilty of doing. I could definitely see someone next to me feeling that way, as he pressed his hands into his eyes, trying to deny everything. It only worsened from here, as the tempo began to increase from Meito's next line.__

_**IF THERE WAS A DAY I COULD LIVE!**_

It was a constant stream of notes for Kaito and Kagami, the only difference would be the boy's constant movement along the fret board. It intensified every decibel of music with each strum he made. Ryuta's bass increased as well, appearing more often than it really should have. It was switching people's brainwaves from normal to batshit insane. Those poor people in the front like I mentioned? Complete bedlam as they began wailing and smashing into each other.

_**IF THERE WAS A SINGLE BREATH I COULD TAKE!**_

I was fearing for my life. I didn't care what was going to happen, but I have to leave as soon as possible. I ran from my seat and ran as much as a could to the exit, the music only getting worse. A monstrous double-bass drum roll coming from the stage told me this was the time to run.

_**I'D TRADE ALL THE OTHERS AWAY!**_

The vest last image I saw in that arena was Meito-sama bending down to one knee and screaming a bloodcurdling growl into the microphone. Every second of pulse-pounding music attacked my body, causing my sensors to go haywire. I was almost gone and I didn't have plans to come back. All I can say…

Anizawa has some lungs on him.

_**I'D TRADE ALL THE OTHERS AWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!  
**_  
From what I was told, the song ended soon afterward. It returned to that accentuated guitar sound at the beginning. And with a few pounds on the instruments…the song was over.

* * *

"I found shelter as fast as I could, but it didn't take long for word to spread around. Nanashi didn't necessarily fail this Hallow's Eve, but bad word was going to spread. This is gonna appear on the news, I know that this many otaku in one location was bound to get media attention, but on this colossal level…I don't know what's going to happen.

Some people left that arena like shambling zombies, while others couldn't leave at all. A heard a few ambulences were called to the scene. Violent fights had erupted just from the power of listening to music.

Dear god, I pray what Nanashi's next move will be. If there's one thing the anime industry does not need, it's a worse reputation."

Konata suddenly felt sicker than before, but she guessed that it had turned out for the best. Perhaps sleeping through the concert was a way of Kanata protecting her. After all, the other theory of Halloween was that ghosts could talk to people.

The blunette had been looking at her screen for so long, she hadn't noticed that Yutaka had left her a drink and medicine. She took a long sip of her honey tea...it was sweet to every taste bud. For once in her life, she had to think about her life as an otaku.

* * *

Yeah, different ending note this time. Sometimes the power of music can be drastically different depending on the song choice. But hey, things will become rather fun around this state. And expect another update very soon. And I again apologize for any errors I made. I kind of enjoy the term "blunette" that originated from the fic "Cluster of Stars." I may use that more...

Please Review!

**BOO! DISCLAIMER: Rock Band 2 is property of Harmonix Studios. Laid To Rest was written and composed by Lamb of God. Produced by ****Lamb of God and Machine (A Producer); ****Labeled by Epic Records.**


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